Iran has thwarted enemy attempts to defeat the Islamic Republic in three wars and will not surrender in the face of any new aggression, Army Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari has said, warning that adversaries have repeatedly miscalculated Iran’s military capabilities and the resolve of its people.
“We suffered damage, but we did not allow the enemy to emerge victorious,” Sayyari, the Army’s deputy chief and coordinator, said at the 25th edition of the Sacred Defense military studies program named after Martyr Ali Sayyad Shirazi, held at Shahid Sattari Air University in Tehran on Thursday.
His remarks come as The Wall Street Journal reported on October 28 that the United States had warned its Persian Gulf allies of a possible “short, intense” attack on Iran after the US midterm elections, adding to concerns over preparations for another US-Israeli assault.
Sayyari said the common thread running through the 1980–1988 Iraqi war on Iran, the 12-day US-Israeli aggression in June 2025 and the third 40-day war was the enemy’s failure to achieve its strategic objectives, despite the destruction and casualties inflicted on Iran.
He stressed that the adversaries have neither succeeded in defeating the Islamic Republic nor achieved their broader aims of undermining Iran’s territorial integrity, destabilizing its political system and breaking the will of its people.
“The enemy was defeated in all three wars. We suffered damage, but we did not allow it to achieve its objectives,” he said, emphasizing that Iran has not initiated the wars but have been forced to defend itself against aggression.
Repeated miscalculations and failed objectives
Explaining the origins of the decades-long hostility toward Iran, Sayyari said the animosity of global hegemonic powers dates back to the victory of the Islamic Revolution on February 11, 1979.
He described the Iraqi War on Iran as an attempt to overthrow the newly established Islamic Republic and seize Iranian territory, particularly Khuzestan, while also pursuing Iraq’s geopolitical ambitions. He said Saddam Hussein had launched the war as a proxy of the hegemonic powers, with the United States effectively standing behind the aggression.
Despite Iran’s military difficulties in the aftermath of the Revolution, Sayyari said, the enemy made a critical miscalculation by assuming that the Iranian armed forces could not mount an effective defense.
He recalled that when Iraqi aircraft attacked Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport on September 22, 1980, Iran’s Air Force retaliated against Baghdad within hours. The Army’s ground forces subsequently halted the Iraqi advance, while the Navy, supported by the Air Force, destroyed Iraq’s naval force on the 67th day of the war, he said.
Sayyari also pointed to the extensive international support provided to Saddam Hussein, noting that Iran had captured prisoners of war from 27 countries. Yet, he said, the aggressors failed to account for the determination of the Iranian people and the leadership of the late Imam Khomeini, who had declared that the nation would continue resisting even if the war lasted 20 years.
The same pattern of miscalculation, Sayyari argued, resurfaced during the 12-day US-Israeli aggression in June 2025.
He said the adversaries sought to defeat the Islamic Republic and fragment Iran, with threats that the country’s map could change after the war. Israel, he added, fought with the backing of the United States and Western countries, which had equipped the regime for its assault.
The aggressors believed that assassinating senior Iranian officials would immediately unravel the country’s political and military structures, that Iran lacked the capability to defend itself and that the population would take to the streets against the Islamic Republic. Those expectations were not fulfilled, he said.
Addressing the third war, Sayyari said the enemy again sought to overthrow the political system but adopted a different approach, targeting the country’s leadership in the belief that its loss would trigger the collapse of the state.
“They thought that if they struck the central pillar, the entire tent would collapse,” he said, describing the adversary’s assumption that the martyrdom of the Leader would leave the country without effective command and management and provoke divisions over the selection of a successor.
The enemy also expected the assassination of senior officials and attacks on security checkpoints to trigger widespread unrest, Sayyari said. Those expectations, he stressed, were again frustrated.
Although Iran suffered grave losses, including the martyrdom of the Leader as the country’s greatest loss, Sayyari maintained that the enemy failed to achieve its ultimate objectives.
Sayyari’s assessment comes amid reports of renewed US military preparations in West Asia and growing speculation about a possible new round of attacks on Iran.
Citing people briefed on the discussions, The Wall Street Journal reported that Washington had conveyed warnings to its Persian Gulf allies through diplomatic and military channels about a possible “short, intense” campaign after the US midterm elections.
The newspaper said an additional US aircraft carrier strike group and a Marine expeditionary unit were preparing to join approximately 20 other warships operating in the region in November.
The Associated Press reported on October 1 that the United States was deploying around 9,000 additional personnel to West Asia, including the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group and the USS Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group, which carries the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
A US official said the deployment could bring the number of American aircraft carriers in the region to three.
These reinforcements would supplement a US military presence estimated at approximately 50,000 personnel in early October.
According to the Journal, US forces have also been replenishing weapons stockpiles, preparing bombers and fighter jets for potential strikes, deploying a Patriot air defense system from Texas and withdrawing troops from exposed bases.
The report said US President Donald Trump was weighing a large-scale assault on Iranian infrastructure and nuclear facilities after the elections. Trump recently told supporters at a rally, “We may do another little Epic Fury. Or they’ll agree.”
Israel has also drawn up plans and targets for another attack, the newspaper reported, with terrorist prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu continuing to advocate renewed strikes aimed at weakening Iran and ultimately toppling its government.
Iran warns against a fresh act of aggression
Tehran has repeatedly rejected attempts to dictate its sovereign decisions through military threats, warning that any renewed US-Israeli aggression would trigger a forceful response against targets across the region.
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps has also warned that a major new war could reverberate far beyond Iran, affecting the wider region and shaping its future. The warning underscores Tehran’s position that a renewed conflict would carry consequences well beyond the immediate battlefield.
The latest tensions follow the US-Israeli war that began on February 28, 2026, while Tehran and Washington were engaged in negotiations over Iran’s peaceful nuclear program. Iran responded with waves of missiles and drones targeting Israeli-occupied territories, as well as US bases and interests across the region.
Iranian officials have maintained that the country retains the capability to respond to renewed attacks and that any aggressor must account for the potential regional consequences.
Tehran has also rejected reports suggesting it would accept proposals that compromise its stated positions on the nuclear issue.
Against this backdrop, Sayyari said the adversary’s hesitation over launching another attack reflects the difficulties it faces in confronting Iran.
“This hesitation by the enemy over attacking again is because it has been left helpless in the face of Iran,” he told the students, pointing to the country’s size and the high morale of its people.
“War is a war of will and resilience. We stand against the enemy and will not surrender. Surrender does not exist in the vocabulary of our nation,” he said.
Addressing the younger generation, Sayyari urged students to recognize their role in safeguarding the country and remain steadfast in the face of external pressure.
“Know that you are the victors on the battlefield and will not bow your heads in surrender before the enemy,” he said, adding that Iran will remain victorious as long as it continued to resist hegemonic powers.
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