A senior adviser to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has revealed a strategic option under consideration by Tehran: deliberately prolonging its conflict with the United States until the end of Donald Trump's presidential term.
Mohammad Reza Naqdi, a senior adviser to the IRGC commander, told PBS NewsHour that this strategy aims to inflict significant attrition on the U.S. and establish a formidable deterrent. "One way is to prolong this war until we get to the next term of the presidency and cause attrition, so that if anyone else wants to reach Iran, they will know there is a cost," Naqdi stated.
Establishing Deterrence Through Prolonged Conflict
Naqdi emphasized the goal of creating a deterrent strong enough to make any future U.S. administration reconsider launching similar campaigns against Iran. He asserted that by extending the conflict and imposing a heavy price, Iran seeks to ensure that "the enemy never dares to attack us."
Regarding Iran's capacity to sustain such a prolonged engagement, Naqdi made a striking claim: Iran is currently producing more missiles daily than it is firing. He explained that missile manufacturing is distributed across multiple locations, making it resilient to disruption, and that Iran could continue missile launches for years if necessary.
The Threat of Global Economic Targets
In a significant escalation of rhetoric, Naqdi issued a stark warning about Iran's potential actions if its missile stockpiles were ever depleted. "If there comes a day when Iran has no more missiles left, that's when we will be even more dangerous for America," he declared.
When pressed on how Iran could pose a greater threat without missiles, Naqdi pointed to the vast global economic interests of the United States. He asserted that these interests "can be easily destroyed," though he did not specify which targets or the methods Iran might employ to strike them.
Naqdi also claimed that Iran assesses itself to be prevailing in the ongoing conflict, despite not yet achieving its ultimate objectives. He added that the confrontation has provided Iranian forces with valuable experience against the U.S. military, which he described as less formidable than anticipated.