Iran war: an advisor to the new Supreme Leader sees "no room for diplomatic dialogue"

The idea of a diplomatic settlement to the war in the Middle East has been dismissed by a foreign policy advisor to the Iranian Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. In an interview with CNN on Monday, March 9, Kamal Kharazi said he "sees no room for diplomatic dialogue" with the United States. "Donald Trump deceived everyone and didn't keep his promises," he told our American colleagues. "We witnessed this twice during negotiations where, while we were engaged in talks, they attacked us," continued Mojtaba Khamenei's advisor. "The Iranian army is very powerful." He believes this war constitutes "an existential threat" to Iran, which is why the Mullahs' regime "must maintain its position with the same firmness as it currently does." But does Tehran have the means to retaliate for long against Israeli and American strikes? On this point, Kamal Kharazi believes that "the Iranian army is very powerful (...) and motivated." For his part, Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, listed the damage inflicted by the American military last Thursday. According to him, 30 Iranian ships had been sunk in the first six days of the conflict. Brad Cooper also noted a 90% decrease in ballistic missile attacks and an 83% decrease in drone attacks in the last 24 hours. Donald Trump indicated this Monday that the war was "virtually" over, arguing that Iran no longer had a "navy," "communications," or an "air force." The American president added, in a telephone interview with CBS, that the conflict was "well ahead" of the four- to five-week timeline he had previously mentioned.