A senior Iranian official warned Monday that Tehran is prepared for a prolonged war with the United States.
He said that the regime is willing to continue striking Gulf nations in an effort to pressure them to urge President Donald Trump to step back from the conflict.
Kamal Kharazi, a foreign policy adviser to Iran's supreme leader, made the remarks during an interview with CNN in Tehran, signaling a defiant stance from the regime as the war enters its 10th day and dismissing the prospect of diplomacy for now.
"I don't see any room for diplomacy anymore. Because Donald Trump had been deceiving others and not keeping with his promises, and we experienced this in two times of negotiations — that while we were engaged in negotiation, they struck us," Kharazi told the outlet on Monday.
"There's no room unless the economic pressure would be built up to the extent that other countries would intervene to guarantee termination of aggression of Americans and Israelis against Iran," Kharazi said.
He said that Gulf Arab nations and other countries may ultimately pressure Washington to end the war as economic consequences spread across the region.
"This war has been producing a lot of pressure — economic pressure — on others, in terms of inflation, in terms of lack of energy, and so if it will be continued, this pressure will be built up more, and therefore others have no choice to intervene," he said.
Since the United States and Israel launched their military campaign against Iran, Tehran has launched strikes across multiple countries in the Middle East. Iranian officials say the attacks are targeting U.S. interests in Gulf nations, though residential buildings and airports have also been hit.
The fighting has shaken global energy markets by threatening key shipping routes and oil infrastructure in the region. Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has largely collapsed, while crude oil prices surged past $100 per barrel Monday, rattling global markets and raising concerns about higher energy costs.
About 20% of the world's oil supply has been disrupted by the conflict, according to data compiled by Rapidan Energy Group — roughly twice the disruption seen during the 1956-57 Suez crisis.
The war has also wiped out much of the global oil market's "spare capacity," the reserve production that can normally be brought online quickly to stabilize supply.
A spokesperson for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Sunday that the regime is using about 60% of its firepower to strike U.S. bases and what it described as "strategic interests" across the region.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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