Tehran [Iran], October 22 (ANI): Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei has warned that any action against Tehran would come at a cost, saying Iran has the necessary capabilities to continue responding if the war persists, according to Iranian state broadcaster IRIB.
As per IRIB, Rezaei on Thursday said that Iran preferred diplomacy if it could establish an understanding of the consequences of military action, but warned that Tehran was prepared for further confrontation.
"Everyone should know that action against Iran has a cost. If diplomacy can create this understanding, we prefer diplomacy; but if the war continues, Iran has the necessary tools to continue responding," Rezaei said, according to IRIB's Telegram post.
He claimed that Iran had not deployed all its capabilities during the previous stages of the conflict and was prepared to expand its response depending on the intensity of the war.
"We did not use all our capabilities in the previous stages. We put more capabilities into operation in proportion to the intensity of the war, and we are ready for the next stage," he said.
Rezaei also warned that the continuation of the conflict could have long-term consequences for global energy markets.
"The continuation of the current situation will have strategic consequences, including the fact that energy markets will not calm down for the next 3 years," he said.
He further claimed that the conflict had shifted regional dynamics in Iran's favour, with Gulf countries reassessing their relations with Tehran.
"The continuation of this war has changed the dynamics of relations in Iran's favour, as the Gulf states are rapidly redefining their relations with Iran," Rezaei said.
He added that Gulf countries had begun questioning the United States' ability to protect its military installations in the region.
"They have come to believe that the US military is not even capable of defending its bases, even though these same countries expected the US to defend their countries," he said.
Separately, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy issued a warning to the United States over what it described as efforts to encourage vessels to pass through a mined maritime passage.
In a statement attributed to the IRGC Navy Command, the force accused Washington of encouraging ships to navigate the passage despite the presence of mines and warned that continued actions could widen the confrontation to US military bases in the region.
"The arrogant US regime's insistence on inciting vessels to pass through the illegally mined passage has increased maritime accidents day by day, and the aggressive US military should know that if this trend continues, the scope of the confrontation will extend to the aggressive bases in the region. This is a serious warning," the IRGC Navy Command said.
The statement comes as  Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy has claimed that it struck and set fire to four ships carrying oil cargoes in the northern Persian Gulf, while three other vessels collided with mines in the western Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian state media, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).
In a statement issued on Thursday, the IRGC Navy said the four ships had previously crossed an “illegal route” despite warnings to the maritime companies operating them.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) said that the United States is not negotiating with Iran and "something" will happen "fairly soon." 
Speaking to American news network NewsNation's White House correspondent Libbey Dean, Trump was asked about developments in negotiations with Tehran; Trump initially acknowledged some activity but indicated that the outcome remained uncertain.
“A little bit, but we'll see what happens,” Trump said when asked whether negotiations with Iran were ongoing.
Asked whether he was done negotiating with the Iranian government, Trump said, "No, I think we're not negotiating...we are going to have something, one way or the other. It'll happen fairly soon."
In the interview, Trump also highlighted the situation between Washington and Tehran as "a little conflict against Iran" and said the United States was performing well on both military and economic fronts.
"I think our sanctions ended the real deal over there. But we're doing very well militarily and financially against Iran," he said.
Trump did not specify what action or development he expected to take place “fairly soon” or provide a definitive timeline for the next steps in the US approach towards Iran. 
All the developments come amid the report by The New York Times that the United States and Israel have drawn up plans for renewed strikes on Iran after the American midterm elections, while Tehran has threatened to unveil a weapon it calls the "father of all bombs" amid escalating tensions in West Asia. (ANI)