Iran could prolong US war till Don leaves office: Aide

Senior IRGC adviser says Tehran can sustain conflict, claims American military is weaker than expected

Washington: Iran could “prolong” the war with the US until President Donald Trump leaves office, a senior adviser to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander has said. “We have to attain deterrence so that the enemy never dares to attack us,” Mohammad Reza Naqdi told PBS, CNN reported. “One way is to prolong this war until we get to the next term of the presidency and cause attrition,” he said.

Naqdi, who served as coordinating deputy of IRGC from 2019 to 2025, said victory was on Iran’s side and accused Washington of conducting a “war without strategy”.

“The longer this war lasts, the more experience we gain,” he said, claiming, Iran had learnt how to fight the US over the past five months and found the American military weaker than expected. He added Iran make more missiles than it uses each day.

Pak’s Naqvi meets Iranian leaders

Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi held talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Tehran. Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said Islamabad was working with regional countries to resolve the conflict.

“Pakistan remains engaged alongside its brotherly states in sincere efforts to resolve the crisis,” Andrabi said, adding it would use direct and indirect channels to facilitate talks.

Naqvi told Pezeshkian ties between the neighbours were “strong, long-standing and unbreakable” and conveyed Islamabad’s determination to develop relations with Tehran, a source said. Pezeshkian said Iran-Pakistan ties would serve both countries’ national interests and contribute to regional stability and security. Andrabi said Naqvi’s visit covered bilateral ties, security and regional developments.

US missions brace for staff cuts

US embassies in West Asia are planning to operate with re­duced staff for an extended period as the Iran war conti­n­ues, with displaced personnel risingly being allo­wed to curtail assignments.

Panama Canal fee soars to $4mn

Commercial ships using the Panama Canal face soaring costs as the Iran war disrupts trade routes and El Niño lowers water levels. A container ship reportedly paid about $4 million to jump a queue of vessels waiting to transit the canal, the Guardian reported. Ships are waiting about 10 days to pass through the waterway, the biggest backlog since May, according to Argus Media. Shipowners are paying higher auction prices to avoid delays as vessels steer clear of the Gulf and Red Sea. Meanwhile, falling water levels have prompted the Panama Canal Authority to impose draft limits, raising concerns that further transit restrictions could follow.