Iran's top security official, who reportedly received a letter from Vice President JD Vance about resuming peace talks, warned in a resurfaced interview that wartime negotiations with Tehran could drag on for decades, and during which both sides should "be prepared to fight."
Mohsen Rezaei, a former commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), now serves as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and acts as a key aide to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
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Rezaei → receive → Khamenei
He also helped shape Tehran's military strategy during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War.
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He → help → War
That eight-year conflict ended after Iran's then-supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, accepted a U.N.-brokered cease-fire that he famously likened to drinking from a "poisoned chalice."
"Ceasefire means an unfinished war," Rezaei had said of the war in a 2006 interview with the Iranian publication Baztab.
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Rezaei → end → publication
An English translation of the interview is preserved by George Washington University's National Security Archive.
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translation → preserve → Archive
Asked whether both sides would remain in their positions and begin talks, Rezaei replied: "Yes.
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Rezaei → ask → talks
Negotiations can take 30 to 40 years and during that time Iran and Iraq should be prepared to fight
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Iran → take → time
Two decades after suggesting negotiations could drag on for years, Washington has reportedly been seeking talks with Rezaei, a key power player in Iran’s current military leadership.
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Washington → suggest → leadership
Vance sent him a letter proposing renewed peace talks between the United States and Iran in October, the Wall Street Journal reported.
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Journal → send → October
Iran said it had received a letter from Vance but had not responded, according to Iranian state media.
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it → say → media
The semi-official Tasnim News Agency said Iran was awaiting U.S. compliance with its conditions, warning that "any position that contradicts this framework is unacceptable."
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that → say → framework
In June, President Donald Trump had posted a warning on Truth Social that Iran had taken too long to come to terms and would "pay the price," while on Monday, he also said that Iran wanted a deal but warned that another U.S. strike could be about five times as large as the previous.
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strike → post → previous
"We could knock it out fast, or we could knock it out over a short, not a long period of time," Trump said during a C-SPAN interview on "Washington Journal Primetime."
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Trump → knock → Primetime
"I can tell you that Iran would like to make a deal, and we'll find out whether that'll happen," Trump said of the current timeframe.
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Trump → tell → timeframe
Rezaei however, has continued to maintain a defiant stance toward Washington, writing on X on Nov. 9:
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Rezaei → continue → Nov.
"The war on Iran has already wrecked the US government," he wrote before adding that "Washington flails like a desperate gambler."
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Washington → wreck → gambler
Time to SURRENDER to the seven conditions Iran has repeatedly set out," he said.
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he → surrender → conditions
Following the Nov. 3 U.S. midterm elections, Rezaei also claimed Iran had defeated Washington militarily and politically.
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Iran → follow → Washington
He warned of a "devastating response" to another attack and declared it was time for Washington to "SURRENDER."
Rezaei also rejected reports of ongoing U.S.-Iran negotiations or any planned meeting in Qatar, accusing Washington of spreading false claims to ease economic pressure and lower oil prices.
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Rezaei → warn → prices
He reiterated that Tehran would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its seven conditions were met.
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conditions → reiterate → Hormuz
Rezaei has spent more than four decades in Iran's defense establishment.
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Rezaei → spend → establishment
He commanded the IRGC from 1981 to 1997, overseeing operations during the Iran-Iraq War.
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He → command → War
In the 2006 Baztab interview, Rezaei also detailed how Iranian leaders distinguished their public rhetoric from military strategy.
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leaders → detail → strategy
Although Khomeini and other Iranian officials called for "fighting till Saddam is toppled" and "until the nuisance is eradicated," Rezaei said Tehran's actual strategy was "fighting up to a victory."
At the time, Iran's battlefield gains, he suggested, were meant to strengthen Tehran's negotiating position rather than achieve total conquest.
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he → call → conquest
"The world did not pay attention to the slogans," Rezaei said in the interview, adding that foreign governments and intelligence agencies focused on Iranian leaders' actions and diplomatic positions.
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governments → pay → actions
Rezaei also said Iran had struggled to turn battlefield gains into diplomatic victories because it lacked international alliances and influence at the United Nations.
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it → say → Nations
Rezaei has since faced U.S. sanctions and international scrutiny.
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Rezaei → face → sanctions
The Trump administration first sanctioned him Jan. 10, 2020, under an executive order targeting senior Iranian officials appointed by the supreme leader.
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administration → sanction → leader
Rezaei had also been accused of involvement in the July 1994 bombing of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, which killed 85 people.
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which → accuse → people
Interpol approved an Argentine request for a Red Notice against Rezaei in 2007 in connection with the bombing.
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Interpol → approve → bombing
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