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 made a concerted diplomatic push with Gulf states, warning them explicitly that Tehran will hit their oil, power and water plants unless they convince Donald Trump to end U.S. strikes on Iran and instead seek a negotiated end to the war.
A proposed deal between Iran and Oman would give Tehran control over ships entering the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Iranian source and two regional officials told Reuters on Wednesday, in one of the biggest concessions yet to Iran.
The U.S. Treasury said on Wednesday it had removed counter-terrorism sanctions from Iraq's Fly Baghdad Airlines and two aircraft that were imposed in 2024 over links to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, citing changes in the airline's behavior.
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