US Trying to Offset Battlefield Defeat Through Economic Pressure, Iranian Military Chief Says

TEHRAN: Chief of General Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces Major General Ali Abdollahi has said the United States is attempting to offset what he described as its military failures by shifting pressure toward economic, psychological and media campaigns.

According to Iranian media, Abdollahi said Washington was seeking to compensate for its strategic weaknesses and shortcomings on the battlefield by expanding the confrontation to other fronts.

He stressed that Iran would not surrender and said a country built on national foundations could not be forced into submission through a combined campaign of economic pressure, psychological warfare and media operations.

Abdollahi described any expectation in Washington that Iran would surrender as an illusion that would never become reality.

He said the United States had spent more than eight decades accustomed to rarely facing outright rejection from other countries. According to the Iranian commander, assuming that the Iranian people would simply submit unconditionally before any military action was therefore a “false dream.”

He said Iran’s response had demonstrated that Tehran would not accept pressure aimed at forcing it to abandon its national interests.

The Iranian military chief said the United States and Israel were now attempting to fill what he described as the gaps created by their military and regional setbacks through so-called soft warfare, psychological operations and economic pressure.

He argued that the shift to non-military forms of confrontation reflected the changing nature of the conflict and the difficulties faced by Iran’s adversaries in achieving their objectives through direct military action.

Abdollahi expressed confidence that Iran would withstand the pressure, saying the resilience of the Iranian people and the strategic approach of the country’s leadership would prevent Washington from achieving its goals.

The Iranian commander said Iran had presented what he described as a new model of resistance to the world by maintaining its commitment to national values and sovereignty.

He predicted that the international system of the future would differ significantly from the one that exists today and argued that this transformation would inevitably reduce the influence of US power.

According to Abdollahi, changes in the global balance of power are already underway and Iran intends to remain part of that transformation.

Abdollahi also highlighted the growing importance of the information and narrative war.

He said maintaining the initiative in the information space and protecting public morale required an effective media strategy.

The Iranian commander argued that media organisations and information campaigns now play a central role in shaping public perceptions during conflicts, making control of the narrative an important component of national security.

His remarks reflect Tehran’s continued emphasis on economic resilience, national unity and information warfare as key elements of its strategy in confronting pressure from the United States and Israel.