Moscow [Russia], August 19 : The ongoing conflict in West Asia could ultimately result in Israel ceasing to exist as a state, Lieutenant General Apti Alaudinov, deputy chief of the Russian Armed Forces' Main Military-Political Department and commander of the Akhmat special forces unit, told TASS.
"We must realise that the war in the Middle East will only escalate," Alaudinov said.
Alaudinov said Israel was seeking to widen the conflict and draw both the United States and the entire NATO bloc into the confrontation. He argued that such an escalation could ultimately work against Israel, leading to its disappearance as a state.
"I believe that is precisely Israel's objective to ramp up the conflict as much as possible and drag both the US and the entire NATO bloc into it. They are good at this. Ultimately, they will overestimate their strength and cease to exist as a state," he added.
The remarks were made as tensions and military hostilities continue to escalate across West Asia. One of the primary ongoing conflicts is the confrontation between the US and Iran.
Meanwhile, as reported by Al Jazeera, US President Donald Trump has asked his negotiating team to hold off talks with Iran until Tehran is "ready to make a deal", adding that there was no conflict within the administration's position on diplomatic engagement with Tehran.
The official told Al Jazeera that the US had been engaged in "positive talks" with Iran, but Trump had "decided to wait" before proceeding further.
"There is no conflict" in the US administration's approach towards talks with Iran, the official added.
Earlier on Tuesday (local time), Trump had contradicted Iran's position on the strategic waterway, stating that the naval blockade remained "in full force and effect" while the Strait of Hormuz was "open and operating".
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said there were no talks or discussions currently taking place with Tehran, adding that the Strait of Hormuz was operational and that naval mines had been removed or detonated.
"There are no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Naval Blockade remains in full force and effect. The Hormuz Strait is open and operating," Trump said.
From the Iranian side, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf slammed senior US officials over Washington's approach to negotiations with Tehran, alleging that the US believes increasing economic or military pressure on Iran would force Tehran to accept concessions beyond the existing agreement.
In a post on X, Ghalibaf hit out at US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, saying both were "way out of their league" in seeking to exert economic and military pressure on the Islamic Republic and arguing that such tactics would not force Tehran to accept additional concessions.
He further urged the US leadership to stop relying on its officials to resolve the situation and instead take responsibility for the problems it had created.
"Americans think squeezing Iran harder will win concessions that were never part of the agreement. Bessent and Hegseth are way out of their league. Stop waiting for the clown crew to pull a rabbit out of their hat and clean up the mess you made," his post read.