Iran Warns of Prolonged Conflict if War with United States Resumes
Iran’s military warns of prolonged conflict if war with US resumes. Tehran says conflict could last longer than previous fighting, with no geographical limits.
Tehran’s military leadership issued a series of warnings on 1 November, cautioning that any renewed armed conflict between Iran and the United States could last longer than the war that began on 28 February, and that Washington would not be able to dictate its outcome.
Iranian army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said, according to Iranian state television, that “a potential future war could last longer than previous conflict, and the American president would not be in a position to dictate the timing or the conditions of its conclusion.” Akraminia’s remarks referred to the most intense phase of the fighting that followed US-Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February, which killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran responded to those strikes by launching missiles and drones across the region. Militant groups backed by Tehran also entered the fighting in Lebanon and Yemen.
‘No geographical limitations’
Also on 1 November, Hossein Mohebbi, the spokesperson of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — the ideological arm of Iran’s military — echoed statements made the previous day by Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei. Mohebbi said, according to state television, that in any conflict with the United States, “there are no geographical limitations; a vast theatre has been defined for inflicting damage upon the enemy.”
Iran’s Defence Minister Mehrdad Akhlaghi separately warned of a “proportionate, decisive, and impactful response” to any attack on the country. He added that those posing threats would not be able to dictate the scope, timing, or consequences of Iran’s defensive response.
Trump claims nuclear sites destroyed
The warnings from Tehran followed remarks by US President Donald Trump on Saturday, in which he said the United States had destroyed much of Iran’s military capability, including its nuclear programme. Trump said the US still had one or two remaining targets to address, adding that those could be dealt with quickly.
