A senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) general declared the United States is “finished” and claimed that even deploying America’s entire aircraft carrier fleet against Iran “won’t be able to do a damn thing” as U.S. and Iranian officials concluded a second round of nuclear talks in Geneva Tuesday under the shadow of an expanding American military buildup across the Middle East.
General Mohammad Reza Naghdi, a senior adviser to the IRGC’s commander-in-chief, made the remarks last Wednesday in comments to an Iranian state-affiliated news agency, according to a translation released by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).
“Even if the United States deploys all of its aircraft carriers near us, it won’t be able to do a damn thing,” Naghdi asserted.
“America has certainly been defeated and is incapable of any aggression,” he added. “The United States is finished.”
When asked how Iranian officials could frustrate Washington’s plans, Naghdi responded, “America is already drowning in frustration and global humiliation.”
“The U.S. president is currently mired in the Epstein corruption scandal,” he added, before claiming that America’s relations with allies “like Canada and Europe have deteriorated to a level that is on the brink of war.”
The rhetoric coincided with renewed IRGC naval activity in and around the Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian forces fired live missiles during the “Smart Control” exercise as U.S. and Iranian negotiators met in Geneva. Guards navy commander Alireza Tangsiri said Iran is prepared to close the strategic waterway — through which roughly 20 percent of global oil flows — if ordered by senior leadership.
The remarks echoed a broader message amplified by Tehran’s leadership as negotiations resumed.
On Tuesday, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei taunted President Donald Trump and warned that American warships could be sent “to the bottom of the sea,” casting the United States as a “corrupt, oppressive empire” in decline.
U.S. and Iranian officials concluded their latest indirect talks in Geneva Tuesday with both sides signaling progress, though acknowledging significant gaps remain.
A U.S. official reported that the discussions “made progress,” but said “there are still a lot of details to discuss.” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the talks as “serious, constructive and positive,” claiming the sides reached a general understanding on “guiding principles” and would now begin working on draft texts.
Even as diplomacy advances, the military posture behind it has intensified.
According to open-source flight data and a U.S. official, more than 50 fighter aircraft — including F-35s, F-22s, and F-16s — have moved into the region over the past 24 hours, as President Trump has also dispatched a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East.
The dueling signals — incremental diplomatic movement paired with live-fire exercises, carrier deployments, and escalating rhetoric — underscore just how volatile the moment has become, with diplomacy unfolding alongside visible preparations for potential escalation.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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