A senior Iranian military official declared Tuesday that a resumption of war with the United States is "inevitable," as negotiations between Tehran and Washington over a lasting end to hostilities in the Middle East appear to be stalling.
The statement marks a significant escalation in tone at a critical moment in diplomacy © Mena Today
A senior Iranian military official declared Tuesday that a resumption of war with the United States is "inevitable," as negotiations between Tehran and Washington over a lasting end to hostilities in the Middle East appear to be stalling.
"The United States demands our total capitulation, and the Iranian nation will never capitulate," said Mohammad Jafar Assadi, a deputy commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya joint command.
"Without capitulation, war is inevitable. So we are waiting, and war does not frighten us," he added, according to remarks carried by Iranian state television IRIB.
The statement marks a significant escalation in tone at a critical moment in diplomacy. While negotiators from both sides have been engaged in discussions aimed at ending the conflict that erupted on February 28, the gap between Washington's demands, including the dismantlement of Iran's nuclear programme and the permanent reopening of the Strait of Hormuz — and Tehran's red lines remains wide.
Assadi's remarks suggest that hardliners within Iran's military establishment are pushing back against any deal they perceive as surrender, and are willing to say so publicly, even as diplomats attempt to find common ground.
Iran has warned that its campaign to throttle global energy markets could be expanded from the Strait of Hormuz to the vital Red Sea route if U.S. attacks continue, a threat that depends on its Houthi allies in Yemen.
Four Kuwaiti soldiers were wounded Tuesday when an Iranian navy vessel was struck during a barrage of missiles and drones targeting the emirate, which intercepted around 40 projectiles, the army said in a statement.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has threatened to close "all other export corridors that benefit the U.S. and its allies", Iranian media reported, after Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. reimposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports.
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