10.25.2026 – conflict has entered

conflict has entered
new phase – maelstrom of factors
of tension and risk

Based on the New York Times article, A New Level of Threat and Fear Risks Pushing the U.S. and Iran Back to Full War by David E. Sanger, Julian E. Barnes, Jonathan Swan, Maggie Haberman. Farnaz Fassihi and Eric Schmitt, the team of Times reporters that has covered Iran’s confrontations with the United States for decades, particularly during President Trump’s two terms.

The article states:

The conflict in the Middle East has entered a new phase in which a maelstrom of factors, from the political calendars in the United States and Israel to the potential for all sides to be seeking pretexts for action, are creating heightened levels of tension and risk.

Mahdi Mohammadi, a senior adviser to Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the lead negotiator and speaker of parliament, said on social media that Iran views the coming part of the war as existential.

“We are in a surprise phase of the war, and we will not fight a classic war,” Mr. Mohammadi said. “It will be an asymmetrical, fierce and conclusive war that will target the enemy’s strong points and weak spots.”

Gloom and doom but I do enjoy the word usage.

… a new phase in which a maelstrom of factors

… to be seeking pretexts for action

… creating heightened levels of tension and risk

Good writing.

And then to that last quote, a quote attributed to one Mahdi Mohammadi who is identified as being a senior adviser to Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the lead negotiator and speaker of parliament.

… We are in a surprise phase of the war

… we will not fight a classic war

… It will be an asymmetrical, fierce and conclusive war

… will target the enemy’s strong points and weak spots

Let’s read the complete quote again.

“We are in a surprise phase of the war, and we will not fight a classic war,” Mr. Mohammadi said. “It will be an asymmetrical, fierce and conclusive war that will target the enemy’s strong points and weak spots.”

Tight.

Concise.

Cold.

Not a lot of wiggle room.

Just words but I remember President John F. Kennedy said of Winston Churchill, that Mr. Churchill, “… mobilized the English language and sent it into battle.“

Notice the lack of words like .. Great … Beautiful .. Huge … Deal … People say … People don’t know … or … Never seen anything like it.

It is easy to conjecture that if Mr. Mohammadi’s statement had been said by someone in the United States Government it might had read:

We’re in what they call a surprise phase of the war. A tremendous surprise. Nobody expected it, although some people say they did. I knew it. I said it a long time ago. And we’re not going to fight a classic war. We’re not doing that. Why would we? Classic wars, very overrated. People don’t understand that. This is going to be something very different. Very powerful. Asymmetrical, they call it. I call it smart. We’re going to hit them where they’re strong, we’re going to hit them where they’re weak, and believe me, they have plenty of weak spots. Plenty. It’s going to be fierce, it’s going to be conclusive, and it’s going to be a tremendous victory. Nobody has ever seen anything like it. Not even close. And people are going to look back and say, ‘Wow, what a deal. What a beautiful thing.

The conflict goes on.

As does the war of words.