Iran Commander: US No Longer Number One, in Strong Decline

A senior Iranian military official welcomed Thursday the “strong decline” of the United States, during celebrations marking the start of the 1979 US embassy siege.

“America is no longer number one and the first power of the world,” deputy Revolutionary Guards commander Hossein Salami told thousands gathered outside the former US mission in Tehran.

“America’s political will can no longer manage political and military development in… the world of Islam. America’s political power has strongly declined.”

Every year on November 3-4, Iran celebrates the 444-day siege of the embassy when more than 50 diplomats, staff and spies were taken hostage by Iranian students demanding the extradition of the shah, who had fled to America after being deposed a few months earlier in the Islamic revolution.

Protesters on Thursday chanted the traditional rallying cries of “Death to America” and “Death to Al Saud”.

“Our fight with the Americans will continue” Salami said. “Pursuing our ideals in the world of Islam and in Iran, we will recognize no stopping point or red line.

He also warned the US not to criticize Iran’s ballistic missiles, calling its system “the real centre of our power (that) must be strengthened.”