In response to Washington weighing the use of its heavy non-nuclear ordnance against Iran, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced it has prepared what officials term the “father of Iranian missiles” to target energy infrastructure and investments of Iran’s enemies throughout the Middle East.
The geopolitical standoff intensified over the weekend of October 17–19, 2026, as top officials from both the United States and Iran traded stark military warnings. Press TV reported that IRGC senior commander and adviser to the commander-in-chief of the IRGC, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi, addressed a crowd in Sari, northern Iran, on Sunday, October 18. Naqdi warned that if adversaries make a miscalculation, their regional energy investments and infrastructure will fall directly within operational range.
This rhetorical escalation follows comments made by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Hegseth issued an ultimatum on Saturday, October 17, telling cadets at the University of Tennessee that Tehran must abandon its nuclear ambitions at the negotiating table or face rapid military destruction. Hegseth also pointed to Iranian backing of armed groups like Hezbollah and the Houthi movement, tying the security of US personnel and maritime transit to Washington’s aggressive posture.
The Rhetoric of Heavy Munitions and Retaliation
The friction centers heavily on the symbolic and literal weight of the arsenals brandished by both sides. Washington’s consideration of the 14-ton GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB)—famously dubbed the “mother of all bombs”—drew immediate derision and counter-threats from Tehran.
Naqdi claimed that during the 12-day conflict with Israel in 2025, the 14-ton bomb was dropped in Iran, and that some of those bombs failed to detonate and were subsequently seized by Iranian forces.
Meanwhile, US Donald Trump addressed political rallies in Ohio and Kentucky over the same weekend. Trump acknowledged that the joint US-Israeli strikes earlier in the year—which resulted in the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—might have been “kelewatan” or going too far, noting the difficulty of negotiating with Iran. Nevertheless, Trump boasted that US operations effectively destroyed the Iranian Navy and Air Force, claiming 159 naval vessels were lost.
Conflicting Assessments on Maritime Security and Conflict Timeline
The standoff directly impacts commercial shipping lanes and energy transport through vital maritime bottlenecks. US military leadership paints a picture regarding transit security that contrasts with reports of conflict. In a video message released on October 16, commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), Brad Cooper, confirmed that despite ongoing attacks from Iran, 400 ships and 100 million barrels of oil traversed the Strait of Hormuz in the preceding week.
| Official / Spokesperson | Affiliation / Role | Key Statement / Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Naqdi | Senior Adviser to IRGC Commander-in-Chief | Warned that the “father of Iranian missiles” is ready to target regional energy infrastructure if provoked. |
| Pete Hegseth | US Secretary of Defense | Ultimatum demanding Iran choose between a nuclear deal or rapid military destruction. |
| Donald Trump | US President | Claimed US strikes dismantled Iranian air and naval capabilities and predicted the conflict will end soon. |
| Brad Cooper | Commander of CENTCOM | Reported that 400 ships and 100 million barrels of oil crossed the Strait of Hormuz in a single week. |
Trump maintained during his campaign appearances ahead of the US midterm elections that the military campaign against Iran would end soon and predicted that gasoline prices would drop below pre-conflict levels once the war ended. However, the exact duration of Washington’s strategic posture remains ambiguous, and reports from military planners indicate internal skepticism over whether heavy conventional bombs can achieve long-term strategic objectives.
As the diplomatic freeze persists and proxy dynamics continue to strain regional stability, the question of whether deterrence will hold or give way to a wider conflagration remains unanswered.
