Tehran plans to purposefully extend the current conflict with the United States to deplete Washington's resources and create long-term deterrence, according to senior Iranian military officials.
Iranian officials anticipate continuing their missile campaign while delaying significant diplomatic developments till the end of Donald Trump's presidency.
According to a senior advisor to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander, Tehran may want to extend the conflict until Donald Trump steps down.
As per Mohammad Reza Naqdi, the goal would be to increase deterrence by placing ongoing costs on Washington and making sure that any subsequent US administration takes into account the repercussions of another strike on Iran, according to a report.
In an interview that was released on Wednesday, Naqdi told PBS, "We have to attain deterrence so that the enemy never dares to attack us, so we can live with security."
"Prolonging this war until the next presidential term and causing attrition is one way to make sure that anyone else who wants to attack Iran knows there is a cost," he added.
Naqdi is currently a senior counsel to the commander of the IRGC, having held the position of coordinating deputy from 2019 to 2025. His remarks provide insight into the perspectives of some members of Iran's military elite regarding the ongoing conflict with Washington.
"Certainly, victory is on our side," Naqdi responded, when asked if Iran presently controls the direction of the conflict.
He claimed that the US has frequently altered its declared goals and accused Washington of fighting without a clear strategy. He further claimed that Washington is waging a "war without strategy", citing some shifting goals, such as reopening the Strait of Hormuz and invading Kharg Island.
"We will gather greater experience the longer this fight lasts. To study how to combat America, we had never witnessed a genuine conflict. We have discovered how in these past five months," Naqdi remarked. He continued, "We have also seen how the American military is weaker than what we perceived."
Naqdi's remarks coincide with the fact that one of the key areas of conflict between Washington and Tehran is still the Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump has threatened Iran to stop interfering with commerce and asserted that the US has "total control" over the vital waterway. Despite this assertion, Hormuz's commercial traffic is still far below average.
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