‘Prolong war until Trump is out’: Iran says it wants to exhaust US, claims Tehran has learnt how to fight America- Moneycontrol.com
Iran could be preparing for a prolonged confrontation with the United States, with a senior adviser to the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) suggesting that Tehran may seek to stretch the war until Donald Trump leaves office. Mohammad Reza Naqdi said the objective would be to build deterrence by imposing sustained costs on Washington and ensuring that any future US administration considers the consequences of another attack on Iran. “We have to attain deterrence so that the enemy never dares to attack us, so we can live with security,” Naqdi told PBS in an interview published on Wednesday. “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 attack Iran, they will know there is a cost.” Iran says it has learnt how to fight the US Naqdi, who served as the IRGC's coordinating deputy from 2019 to 2025, is now a senior adviser to the force's commander. His comments offer a glimpse into how elements of Iran's military leadership are viewing the continuing confrontation with Washington. Asked whether Iran currently controls the course of the war, Naqdi said: “Certainly, victory is on our side.” He accused Washington of fighting without a clear strategy, arguing that the US has repeatedly changed its stated objectives. Washington is conducting a “war without strategy,” he said, pointing to what he described as a series of shifting objectives, including the invasion of Kharg Island and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. “The longer this war lasts, the more experience we gain. We had never seen a real war to gain real experience to learn how to fight with America. In these five months, we have learned how,” Naqdi said. “We have also seen how the American military is weaker than what we perceived,” he added. Hormuz remains at the centre of the conflict Naqdi's comments come as the Strait of Hormuz remains one of the biggest points of confrontation between Washington and Tehran. US President Donald Trump has claimed that America has “total control” over the strategic waterway and has warned Iran against further interference with shipping. Despite that claim, commercial traffic through Hormuz remains dramatically below normal levels. Recent shipping data cited by Reuters showed only eight vessels crossing the strait on Tuesday, compared with a pre-war average of around 130 to 140 vessels a day. LSEG recorded 11 transits. Iran, meanwhile, has linked any reopening of the waterway to broader concessions from Washington, including an end to the US blockade, sanctions relief and the release of frozen Iranian assets. Naqdi defended Iran's attacks on vessels in the region, saying that ships travelling through areas outside Iran's control could potentially be carrying supplies for its adversaries. His remarks underline why the dispute over Hormuz remains central to the wider US-Iran confrontation, with Washington insisting on freedom of navigation while Tehran continues to treat control of the waterway as a major source of leverage. Iran claims it can sustain missile campaign Naqdi also sought to project confidence in Iran's missile capabilities. He claimed that Iran manufactures more missiles than it uses each day, suggesting that Tehran could sustain its missile campaign even if the conflict continues for an extended period. “If there comes a day when Iran has no more missiles left, that’s when we will be even more dangerous for America. Because America has thousands of economic interests throughout the world, and all of them can be easily destroyed,” he said. The claim could not be independently verified. Tehran and Washington remain far apart The comments come amid continuing disagreement over the possibility of extending the US-Iran ceasefire and reviving an interim understanding. A senior Iranian source previously told Reuters that there had been “absolutely been no progress on this issue”, rejecting suggestions that Washington and Tehran were moving towards an extension. The source said one issue under discussion was the possibility of the US returning to the memorandum of understanding and establishing a timeframe for implementing its commitments. Tehran has accused Washington of violating the interim pact “48 hours after it was reached” and withdrawing from it “a few days later.” Iran has also rejected the premise of extending the current ceasefire. “From Iran’s perspective, there is no ceasefire start date, therefore nothing to extend,” the senior Iranian source said. Another Iranian source told Reuters that “there are no discussions over extending ceasefire between Iran and U.S.” A war with no clear end in sight Naqdi's suggestion that Iran could deliberately prolong the conflict until the next US presidency adds another dimension to an already uncertain confrontation. His comments indicate that at least some elements of Iran's military establishment see a prolonged war as a means of exhausting Washington, accumulating battlefield experience and strengthening deterrence. For Washington, meanwhile, the continuing disruption around Hormuz, Iran's refusal to accept an extension of the ceasefire and Tehran's insistence on concessions before reopening the waterway point to a conflict with no immediate settlement in sight. Naqdi's remarks also reinforce Tehran's broader message that Iran believes time could work in its favour if the confrontation continues, while Washington continues to maintain military and economic pressure on the Islamic Republic. 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