TEHRAN — Iran’s armed forces have successfully confronted the United States and Israel through an asymmetric approach to warfare, Major General Ali Abdollahi, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, said on Sunday.

Speaking at an event, Abdollahi said Iran was now facing an “all-out hybrid, soft and cognitive war,” involving a combination of military, economic and psychological pressure.

He said the United States had not been accustomed to hearing a “no” from other countries for more than 80 years and had wrongly assumed, before launching its war of aggression against Iran, that the Iranian people would eventually surrender.

“That illusion will never become reality,” Abdollahi said.

The senior commander stated that the United States and Israel were attempting to make up for their strategic shortcomings and setbacks by employing soft and cognitive warfare, along with economic pressure. He asserted that these efforts would ultimately fail due to the resilience of the Iranian people and the sound judgment of the country’s officials.

Abdollahi said Iran’s Armed Forces had demonstrated an ability to confront superior military powers through asymmetric means while retaining the strategic initiative in the face of threats.

He also portrayed Iran’s experience as a broader model of resistance, saying the Islamic Republic had offered the world a new approach rooted in its religious and national values.

“By God’s grace, the future world will be different from the past,” Abdollahi said. “This change will benefit the Iranian nation and will be accompanied by the definite decline of U.S. power.”

His remarks reflect Tehran’s broader narrative that military pressure alone cannot force Iran to abandon its strategic positions. Iranian officials have repeatedly emphasized the role of asymmetric capabilities, domestic defense production and national resilience in countering external military and economic pressure.