IranNorth AmericaQasem SuleimaniWest Asia

IRGC Commander: Iran Able to Set Fire to All US Bases in Region

Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Major General Hossein Salami warned the US officials that any attack on Iran would trigger destruction of all Washington interests and bases in the region.

“If the Americans want to fight against us, they should be in the region. They cannot fight against us from outside the region and when they are deployed in the region, they are within the range of our bullets everywhere and we are able to set fire to all their interests and bases in the region and occupy them. We can swipe the region,” General Salami said in an interview with the state TV on Saturday night.

General Salami also referred to the assassination of former IRGC Quds Force Commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, and said that when the US assassinated Iran’s great General Soleimani, the whole world protested at their terror attack.


IRGC Commander Major General Salami

He noted that the harsh revenge of the Iranian nation is yet to be fulfilled and this will be materialized only in the form of the annihilation of the hegemonic powers.

Referring to the outstanding and brilliant character of martyred general Soleimani, he outlined his unrivaled role in fortifying the wave of resistance and defeating the US, Britain and Israeli regime’s policies.

General Salami said that his martyrdom indeed injected a new life into the body of resistance in a way that youngsters all across the Islamic world are now after revenging his assassination.

He also pointed to the US President’s recent threats to strike Iran “1000 times greater in force” following a false report by the US media on alleged Iran plan to assassinate a US diplomat.

General Salami said that Iran is serious about taking Martyr Soleimani’s revenge as it will target those behind the assassination, but reiterated that Tehran will act faily in taking this revenge and would not target those that have not been involved in the attack.

“Iran will target those who have had a direct or indirect role in the martyrdom of Lieutenant General Soleimani,” he stressed, reminding that the US ambassador to South Africa neither has been involved in the attack nor is a counterweight for the martyred Iranian General.

Referring to the Iranian forces’ January attack on the US airbase in Ein Al-Assad in Iraq just few days after the assassination of General Soleimani, the commander said the IRGC proved that it is not afraid of the US.

Through such attack in retaliation for the assassination of top IRGC commander, the Iranian nation imposed its will on the enemy, General Salami said, stressing that the Islamic Republic was not after taking a toll in the missile strike since the soldiers deployed at the base had not been involved in the terror attack.  

“The US political system should pay for General Soleimani’s martyrdom because Washington hegemony should be shattered,” he noted.

Meanwhile, killing of several soldiers or an ambassador in a part of the world is no justice, he said, stressing that there is no US official as important and worthy as General Soleimani.

However, the US should know that it will taste tough revenge, he warned, stating that the US officials have been caught in a dilemma, and will be defeated whether they leave the region or stay here.

When the IRGC targeted their airbases in Anbar, it had already prepared hundreds of missiles that no power, including the US forces, could resist against to reciprocate any US response to the Ein al-Assad attack, he concluded.

All IRGC members as well as Basij forces are ready to sacrifice themselves for the great nation of Iran and will defend the dignity, prosperity, security and peace of the nation to the last drop of their blood, he said.

Iran is not intimated by any bluffs and threats and will do the necessary things if sees its rights in the nuclear deal are violated, IRGC commander said.

He highlighted that the Iranian nation can curb political, economic and psychological pressures, adding that the enemies want to intimidate and create fear in Iranians whereas if the US opts for pulling the trigger, no bullets will certainly come out because America is absolutely isolated and Iran will strongly defend itself as this is a matter of politics and the Americans will certainly fail in this arena, too.

The commander also pointed to the US futile efforts to extend arms embargo on Iran, and said the US as a superpower has undoubtedly lost its political influence.

Even the Europeans did not follow the US [policies], and this shows that Washington is on its way to collapse, he added. 

“The animosity of hegemonic powers against Iran was due to the fact that victory of the Islamic revolution in the country put their interests in danger,” General Salami added.

The IRGC commander also referred to the normalization deals underway between some Arab states and the Zionist regime, saying that such moves only add to the hatred of the regional nations for the Israeli regime.

The normalization deals which served as part of the election campaign by Donald Trump put ropes around the necks of some Arab states in the absolute absence of Palestinians, he added.

General Salami had also on Saturday morning warned that Iran is resolved to retaliate for the US assassination of Geberal Soleimani, and said that all collaborators in the terrorist act are potential targets.

“Mr. Trump, Do not doubt about our revenge because it is completely destined and serious,” General Salami said, addressing IRGC commanders and officials in Tehran.

Iran will take revenge in a fair manner, he added, noting, “This is why we did not target your soldiers at Ein al Assad.”

“We will target those who have had a direct or indirect role in the martyrdom of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani,” General Salami said.

“Do you think that we will target a female ambassador in ransom for the blood of our martyr,” asked Salami, referring to US media allegations that Iran had plotted to assassinate US ambassador to South Africa in revenge for the assassination of General Soleimani.

“Americans should know that we will target anyone who has had a role in the cowardly assassination of General Soleimani and this is a serious warning,” he said.

“You are threatening us with an attack 1000-times greater in force, while being stranded in your internal problems, but when we targeted Ain al Asad, we were assuming that you would respond and had then made hundreds of missiles ready to destroy targets in case you would respond,” General Salami said.

He underlined that the US is given a crushing retaliation if it even damages “one hair” of an Iranian national.

“These are serious warnings. We do not engage in a war of words, but we leave everything to the field of action,” General Salami said.

He added that today the US has lost its past military power and has been isolated in the world.

In relevant remarks last Tuesday, Iranian Government Spokesman Ali Rabiyee said the US has made the biggest strategic mistake by assassinating General Soleimani, and underlined once again that Tehran will give a strong response to the terror attack.

“The assassination of our martyred General who was the General of peace in the region and symbol of fight against terrorism is a stain (on the face of the US) that cannot be cleaned,” Rabiyee told reporters in a press conference in Tehran.

He referred to the recent remarks by US President Donald Trump on his twitter page that has threatened to strike Iran “1000 times greater in magnitude” following a false report of the American media on alleged Iran plan to assassinate a US diplomat, and said, “I regret that the president of a country which claims to be able to manage the world and establish global order makes rapid, ordered and distorted opinion based on such a weak basis.”

“The US has made its biggest strategic mistake and it cannot conceal its crime through such moves. Anyway, any strategic mistake by the US will face Iran’s firm response,” Rabiyee said.

Iran on Monday strongly rejected a report released by the US media claiming that the country was weighing plans to kill the American ambassador to South Africa to take revenge for Washington’s assassination of General Soleimeni.

“Such baseless remarks are part of the Trump administration’s counter-intelligence campaign against Iran. The US regime’s resort to allegations and lies against Iran on the threshold of the US presidential election and concurrent with its pressures to use the UN Security Council mechanisms with the aim of increasing pressure on the Iranian nation was predictable,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said.

He also blasted the US media for releasing an ordered, biased and targeted report against Iran, advising the American officials to give up resorting to repeated and worn-out methods to spread an anti-Iran atmosphere on the international scene.

Khatibzadeh described Iran as a responsible member of the international society which has proved its commitment to the international diplomatic principles and norms, saying that it is the US and the current regime in the White House that has implemented tens of assassination plots and military interventions in other countries in recent years, an instance of which was the assassination of General Soleimani in Iraq.

“As repeatedly said before, the Islamic Republic of Iran will continue legally pursuing the criminal and cowardly assassination of General Soleimani internationally at all levels and will neither forgive nor forget the terrorist act,” he stressed.

His remarks came in response to a report by Politico citing the US officials as claiming that the “Iranian government is weighing an assassination attempt against the American ambassador to South Africa” in retaliation for the assassination of General Soleimeni.

Meantime, a spokesman for South Africa’s Foreign Ministry said the US official’s allegation took Pretoria by surprise.

“We only became aware of this report this morning,” Lunga Ngqengelele said by phone on Monday.

Department of International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor may issue a statement later, he added.

Lieutenant General Soleimani was assassinated in a US drone strike on Baghdad International Airport in Iraq on January 3.

The airstrike also martyred Deputy Commander of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. The two were martyred in an American airstrike that targeted their vehicle on the road to the airport.

Five Iranian and five Iraqi military men were martyred by the missiles fired by the US drone at Baghdad International Airport.

On January 8, the IRGC Aerospace Force started heavy ballistic missile attacks on US Ein Al-Assad airbase in Southwestern Iraq near the border with Syria and a US operated airbase in Erbil in retaliation for the US assassination of General Soleimani.

Ein Al-Assad is an airbase with a 4km runway at 188m altitude from sea levels, which is the main and the largest US airbase in Iraq. Early reports said the radar systems and missile defense shields in Ein Al-Assad failed to operate and intercept the Iranian missiles. Unofficial reports said the US army’s central radar systems at Ein Al-Assad had been jammed by electronic warfare.

The second IRGC reprisal attack targeted a US military base near Erbil airport in Iraqi Kurdistan Region in the second leg of “Martyr Soleimani” reprisal operation.

Iraq said the attacks had not taken any toll from its army men stationed at these two bases. The US army had blocked entrance into Ein Al-Assad to everyone, including the Iraqi army.

It was the first direct attack on the US army ever since world war two.

The IRGC officials said none of the missiles had been intercepted.

Meantime, Iran announced in late June that it had issued arrest warrants for 36 officials of the US and other countries who have been involved in the assassination of the martyred General Soleimani.

“36 individuals who have been involved or ordered the assassination of Hajj Qassem, including the political and military officials of the US and other governments, have been identified and arrest warrants have been issued for them by the judiciary officials and red alerts have also been issued for them via the Interpol,” Prosecutor-General of Tehran Ali Alqasi Mehr said.

He said that the prosecuted individuals are accused of murder and terrorist action, adding that US President Donald Trump stands at the top of the list and will be prosecuted as soon as he stands down presidency after his term ends.

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