Iran general rejects US military threat

A senior Iranian military commander has dismissed US Secretary of State John Kerry’s latest threat of military action against Iran over its nuclear program.

“You could never understand the extent of the invasive capacity of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Mohammad Ali Ja’fari said on Saturday.

Ja’fari made the remarks in reaction to Kerry saying on January 23 that “the military option that is available to the United States is ready and prepared to do what it would have to do” if Iran enriches uranium beyond five percent purity.

“Mr. Kerry must know that direct battle with the US is the biggest dream of pious and revolutionary people across the world. Your threats offer our revolutionary people the best opportunity,” said Ja’fari.

He added that “wise politicians” in the United States are unlikely to let the “ridiculous military option” remain on the table.

Ja’fari advised Kerry to stop repeating “bankrupt strategies like the use of military power” in order to avoid the accelerated collapse of the US civilization.

Kerry’s repeated threats come against the backdrop of the implementation of Iran’s nuclear deal with the six world powers, under which Tehran has agreed to limit its uranium enrichment to five percent purity level.

On January 20, the EU Council suspended part of its sanctions against Iran according to the Geneva nuclear deal between Tehran and the Sextet of world powers – the United States, France, Britain, Russia, China and Germany – which was signed last November.

The decision was adopted in the course of the regular monthly meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed earlier in the day that Iran had halted 20-percent enrichment of uranium under the Geneva agreement.