[Today's Prayer] Senior Iranian Military Official: "The U.S. Is Demanding Surrender... Resumption of War Is Inevitable"

A senior Iranian military official has stated that the resumption of armed conflict with the United States is inevitable.

According to AFP, Mohammad Jafar Asadi, Deputy Commander of Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Military Headquarters, said on the 2nd (local time) through state television, "The United States is demanding our complete surrender," adding, "The Iranian people will never surrender." He asserted, "If we do not surrender, then war is inevitable."

Asadi's remarks come amid observations that recent negotiations with the United States have reached a deadlock.

On the same day, the semi-official Mehr News Agency, citing a source from the negotiating team, reported, "Iran's response to the final agreement proposed by the United States has not yet been delivered," and that "discussions regarding the final text are continuing."

The source explained, "Iran is carefully reviewing the proposal due to the United States' past record of failing to honor agreements and the long-standing distrust between the two countries," adding that "Iran is pursuing concrete and practical benefits."

(Excerpt omitted)

The draft MOU reportedly included an extension of the "60-day ceasefire" between the United States and Iran, the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and further negotiations on Iran's nuclear program during the ceasefire period.

According to foreign media reports, President Trump expressed concerns regarding the provision in the draft that would release Iran's frozen assets abroad and requested stronger and more binding language concerning nuclear issues and Iran's obligation to keep the Strait of Hormuz open.

The United States and Iran have recently continued indirect discussions through mediating countries regarding regional de-escalation, maintenance of the ceasefire, sanctions relief, and Iran's nuclear development program.

Meanwhile, sporadic military clashes between the United States and Iran have continued in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf region.

In a statement released the previous night, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that, in response to an attack by U.S. forces on the Iranian merchant vessel "Lian Star" in the Gulf of Oman, it had struck a vessel linked to the United States and Israel (the Panama-flagged "MSC Sariska V") with a cruise missile.

The U.S. Central Command stated that it carried out "self-defense strikes" over the weekend targeting Iranian radar installations and drone command-and-control facilities, while the IRGC claimed that it had retaliated by striking regional military bases used by U.S. forces.

Source: News1

"The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the lily." (Isaiah 35:1)

God, we hear that amid the recent deadlock in ceasefire negotiations between Iran and the United States, the deputy commander of Iran's Central Military Headquarters has made a hardline statement, declaring that Iran will never surrender to the complete capitulation demanded by the United States and that the resumption of armed conflict is inevitable.

As the gap between Iran and the United States remains unresolved and discussions for a ceasefire continue, yet sporadic attacks and military clashes over the surrounding waters do not cease, please have mercy on the Iranian people who suffer in fear because the war does not end.

Please turn back Iran's Revolutionary Guard and leaders, who reject the demands for surrender in order to protect their own influence and survival, while driving countless citizens toward death. May they repent of their sins and seek God's presence and rule.

Also, may the global church pray together so that joy may be restored to the land of Iran, which has become dry like a wilderness through war, and that true shalom may come. May the local church in Iran rejoice in Jesus Christ, their refuge, even in the face of war and death, and may we partner with and serve them as they proclaim the gospel.

Thus, even when suffering comes and even when death comes, may Iran become a nation that boldly testifies to Jesus Christ and takes part in the revival of all nations!