A senior Revolutionary Guard adviser says Tehran could deliberately extend its war with the U.S. until President Trump leaves office. Efforts to revive the June ceasefire have stalled, with Washington and Tehran accusing each other of breaking its terms. Iran has shifted to a more aggressive military doctrine, and a deadly strike on shipping this week pushed oil prices higher for a sixth straight day.

Tehran does not appear to be in a hurry to end its war with Washington.

Mohammad Reza Naqdi, a senior adviser to the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, told PBS that dragging out the conflict could actually work in Iran's favor.

"We have to attain deterrence so that the enemy never dares to attack us, so we can live with security," Naqdi said. "One way is to prolong this war until we get to the next term of the presidency and cause attrition, so that if anyone else wants to attack Iran, they will know there is a cost."

The remarks came as diplomatic efforts between Iran and the United States remain frozen. A senior Iranian source told Reuters there had been no progress in efforts to revive the June interim deal and establish a timeline for implementing it.

Talks Remain Stuck as Both Sides Blame Each Other

The June agreement was meant to stop military operations and open a path to a longer-term settlement, but it fell apart within weeks.

Washington says Iran never reopened the Strait of Hormuz as agreed. Tehran says the U.S. never lifted its blockade on Iranian ports or unfroze Iranian assets. Sanctions relief and the terms of a permanent deal remain unresolved too, with neither side willing to move first.

Iran Signals a Tougher Military Approach

While negotiations remain stalled, Iran has also signaled a more aggressive military posture. Naqdi called it an "offensive doctrine," a break from the country's previous defensive posture.

"Whenever the conditions are favorable and the order is issued, we must be able to take the operation into enemy territory," Naqdi said.

Naqdi said that five months of fighting have taught Iran how the U.S. military actually operates, and that Tehran now sees it as weaker than it had assumed going in.

Strait of Hormuz Remains a Major Flashpoint

Almost everything comes back to the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman that carried roughly a fifth of the world's oil and gas before the war.

Tuesday brought the clearest sign yet of how fragile shipping through the region has become. Iran-backed Houthi rebels killed four crew members in a strike on a cargo ship further south in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the first deadly attack on shipping by the group since the war began.

Hours later, the U.S. Navy fired two Hellfire missiles to disable a Panama-flagged cargo ship that ignored warnings not to enter Iranian ports, part of a naval blockade Washington has maintained.

The uncertainty pushed Brent crude prices close to $89 a barrel on Wednesday, its sixth straight day of gains, and remains roughly 75% above pre-war levels after peaking near $126 a barrel earlier in the conflict.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that a deal with Iran remains possible while also warning that pressure will continue if Tehran refuses to cooperate. He has also demanded that Iran pay compensation for people killed in "50 years of wars, attacks and protests."

A Waiting Game Between Washington and Tehran?

Naqdi framed his comments as one possible strategy rather than declared policy, and it's unclear how much weight his views carry beyond his advisory role. But paired with the stalled talks and the shift toward a more offensive military posture, his remarks suggest Tehran sees little reason to rush into an agreement that doesn't meet its terms.

For Washington, that leaves an uncomfortable question: whether a president who has spent months alternating between threats and optimism is prepared to wait out an adversary that says it's willing to do the same.