The war in Iran has moved to the forefront of the global stage, having a dramatic impact on the world economy and geopolitics. The impact has been most substantial in the Middle East and the Gulf states. The U.S. economy is being affected by skyrocketing oil prices, contributing to escalating inflation.
With the midterm elections rapidly approaching, the Iran war seems to be hanging like a millstone around the neck of the President and the Republican Party.
In his recent speech at the United Nations General Assembly, President Trump focused on the future of Iran, laying out various options to end the conflict. While the President clearly desires a peaceful resolution, at the other end of the spectrum, he contemplated the “total annihilation” of Iran, readying for an all-out assault if no deal is reached by the midterm elections. President Trump hinted that upcoming elections on November 3rd will be a tipping point.
Interestingly, as President Trump addressed the U.N., giving the different options at his disposal, the Iranians were preparing for a massive escalation.
It seems clear that both Iran and the U.S. now have November 3rd circled on their calendar—and after that, all bets are off.
One of Iran’s most desperate preparations is the launching of a new mobilization effort called “Janfada,” which means “self-sacrifice.” This IRGC campaign carries the slogan, “We have one life, and we give it for Iran,” and, disturbingly, it is especially directed towards recruiting children.
This doesn’t sound like a nation that wants to come to the negotiating table for peace! Iran is beating the drums of war.
General Jack Keane, speaking on Fox News, emphasized: “[The Iranians] are convinced that they are winning here. Their mindset is that they can outlast us. War is a test of wills. I don’t think they have any intention of making a deal with us that meets our objectives; if they did, the reality is that they wouldn’t comply with it. They already showed us that.”
“I would have a problem with any deal that even meets our objectives, because what happens here is you finance their recovery, you throw a lifeline to the regime, you pass this to the next administration for the next five to ten years, and that is not why we started this thing,” he underscored. “We started this thing to actually finish these guys, per their behavior.”
“Anyone sitting here thinking today that the Iranian regime’s behavior will change, and they will fundamentally reverse course, doesn’t understand who they really are,” General Keane stressed. “That’s the path I think we are on. It is inevitable that we will need military operations, likely, that will support the economic pressure that the blockade and Bessent have applied in isolating this regime economically. And I think the objective when we go back to military operations should not be to state a deal; the objective would be that we set the conditions to put this regime on a path to its collapse.”
Iran is preparing for war. We must remember that the regime in Tehran is the same regime that slaughtered 72,000 of its own people. They are not going to give up willingly. Their current actions reinforce this conclusion. Tehran despises the United States and Israel. Any form of surrender to what they consider the “great Satan” and the “little Satan” seems to be out of the question.
Iranian authorities assert that more than 1 million people are expected to sign up for their new “Janfada” mobilization campaign, with a claimed initial 1,000 units—which they describe as battalions—prepared. As stated earlier, to boost the numbers, Iran is even recruiting children.
The Jerusalem Post, on September 22nd, published the headline: “Iranian Children To Be Recruited For Islamic Republic’s ‘Self-Sacrifice’ Campaign.”
Newsmax reported that “Iran has launched a military recruitment effort targeting boys as young as 12, offering military training that reportedly includes drones, surveillance, and weapons as the Islamic Republic seeks to bolster its security forces.”
The New York Post detailed:
Iran has launched a new military recruitment drive aimed at boys between the ages of 12 and 15 as part of the Islamic Republic’s ‘self-sacrifice’ campaign.
Campaign spokesperson Sasan Zare said age 15 and up have begun the military training, and due to high demand, ‘special training appropriate for younger ages will also be arranged,’ the Iranian Labor News Agency reported.
The training would see the children learning the basics of “ensuring local security, general war preparations, observation, surveillance, and intelligence measures,” Zare added.
It would also include teaching the kids how to pilot drones and even how to fire shoulder-mounted weapons.
The training is expected to be overseen by the Basij, which is Iran’s volunteer militia under the auspices of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. Basij played a major role in enforcing the Islamic Republic’s rule at home, including crackdowns on anti-government protesters. They’re behind the deaths of a significant portion of the tens of thousands who were killed.
Among all the propaganda, everything in Iran ultimately comes back to their eschatology. Even their reported goal of recruiting the symbolically numbered march of 313,000 recruits—313 being the number of core companions of the “Mahdi” in Islamic beliefs.
This Islamic eschatology is something many leaders fail to take into account. The radical Iranian regime believes the Mahdi will return in a time of warfare, bloodshed, and chaos, and they view the current conflict as putting out the welcome mat.
As this is taking place, President Trump is threatening annihilation of Iran. The monthly review has an astonishing headline: “Trump readies 40,000 bombs for Israel, wider war after Nov. 3”
Many people are forecasting that if there’s no peace by the midterms, a massive offensive is going to be brought against Iran. According to the article, “the Trump administration is preparing a $2.8 billion transfer to Israel containing 40,000 one-ton bombs and 20,000 penetrator warheads.”
While I do believe that President Trump genuinely desires peace, the direction is looking more and more like war. Iran’s short-term future is up in the air.
This poses some interesting questions. Will some form of peace deal be hammered out? Will the Strait of Hormuz reopen, oil begin to flow to world markets, and inflation come down? Will Iran rein in the Houthis down in Yemen, who have usurped control of much of the Red Sea? Will the regime survive? Will President Trump launch a decisive onslaught after (or before) the midterms? Will Israel enter into the fray?
While we don’t know what will happen to Iran in the near term, the Bible provides us with a sure answer about what Iran will do in the future.
In Ezekiel 38-39, we read that Iran will join and help lead a deadly coalition against Israel—including the increasingly aggressive Russia and Turkey. There is no doubt that what we are seeing take place is part of the buildup or stage setting for that great end-time war predicted over 2,500 years ago. All signs point to the Gog-Magog war.
The players are in place, consumed with aggression towards Israel and the United States. Iran’s constant domination of global headlines is no accident or coincidence—it’s providence.
