Iran's military has warned that any renewed war with the United States could last longer than the fighting earlier this year, and that Washington would not control when or how such a conflict ended. The warning was issued on Sunday 1 November by army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia, in remarks carried by Iranian state television.

Akraminia said a future conflict could run longer than the previous round and that the American president would not be in a position to dictate its timing or its terms of conclusion. Defence Minister Mehrdad Akhlaghi added that any attack would draw what he called a proportionate, decisive and impactful response, and that those making threats would not set the scope or consequences of Iran's reply. A Revolutionary Guard spokesman, Hossein Mohebbi, said a confrontation would have no geographical limits.

Trigger: Trump's one or two sites remark

The statements followed comments by US President Donald Trump on 31 October, in which he said American forces had knocked out much of Iran's military and nuclear capability but still had one or two sites to deal with, which he said could be struck within 10 minutes. Trump did not announce an immediate operation, and said negotiations were continuing. One of the sites he referred to was reported as a suspected nuclear site known as Pickaxe Mountain.

Why the warning matters now

The exchange underlines how fragile the current pause remains. The conflict that began on 28 February 2026, when US and Israeli forces struck Iran, has not produced a lasting settlement, despite a June ceasefire and memorandum that reduced fighting. Tehran's latest language, longer war, wider theatre, no US-set endpoint, is a deterrent message, not evidence that a new operation has been ordered. It should be reported as Iran's stated position, alongside Trump's remarks, not as a confirmed escalation.