'Iran will determine when the war ends': IRGC responds to Donald Trump's 'short-lived conflict' remark

Trump has warned that fighting can intensify if Iran disrupts global oil supplies

As the ongoing US-Israel military campaign against Iran continues, Tehran has signalled that it will decide the course of the conflict.

Responding to remarks by United States President Donald Trump, a spokesperson for Iran’s paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Ali Mohammad Naini, said, "Iran will determine when the war ends," according to an Associated Press report.

Earlier, Trump said the conflict could be short-lived but warned that fighting could intensify if Iran disrupts global oil supplies. His remarks came amid concerns that tensions could escalate following the Islamic Republic’s appointment of a new hardline Supreme Leader.

Oil prices briefly surged to their highest level since 2022 after Iran selected Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new Supreme Leader following the death of his father, Ali Khamenei. Investors initially viewed the move as a sign that Iran was preparing for a prolonged confrontation, nearly 10 days after the war began with strikes by the United States and Israel.

However, prices later eased and US stocks moved higher as hopes grew that the conflict might not drag on for long.

Speaking to Republican lawmakers at his golf club near Miami, Trump described the military operation as a brief intervention. “We took a little excursion to the Middle East to get rid of some evil, and I think you’ll see it’s going to be a short-term excursion,” he said, reported AP.

Hours later, Trump warned Iran against disrupting oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, saying the US would respond forcefully if that happened. The social media post said: "If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far."

The US President also held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the conflict and other issues. According to Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov, the Russian leader suggested several ideas for a swift political and diplomatic resolution after speaking with Gulf leaders and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.