IRGC Top Commander Reiterates Tough Revenge

Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Major General Hossein Salami vowed “tough and finishing” revenge for the US assassination of IRGC Qods Force Commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani.

“We will take revenge. We will take revenge; a revenge that will be tough, strong, decisive and finishing and will make them regret,” General Salami said, addressing the large number of people in the Southeastern city of Kerman on Tuesday who had gathered for the funeral ceremony of General Soleimani.

He said that martyrdom is just the beginning of the way, warning the enemies that martyred General Soleimani is more dangerous and lively than his alive body.

“He was beyond the borders and is the architecture of the US failure,” General Salami said.

“Today, the seeds of hatred for the US have been sown in the hearts of Muslims and no safe point have been left for them (Americans),” he added.

“We say again that we have strong determination and take revenge and if they (the US) continue, we will set fire at the place they like and they know where it is,” General Salami said.

Lieutenant General Soleimani was martyred in a targeted assassination attack by the US drones at Baghdad International Airport early on Friday morning.

General Qassem Soleimani has been martyred by the US aircraft after lifetime efforts, the IRGC said in a statement early Friday morning.

The airstrike also martyred Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy commander of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), or Hashad al-Shaabi. The PMF media arm said the two were martyred in an American airstrike that targeted their vehicle on the road to the airport.

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

The Pentagon confirmed the attack in a statement.

The attack came amid tensions that started by the US attack on PMF units that killed 28 Iraqi popular forces. A day later, Iraqi people attacked the US embassy in Baghdad. On Wednesday President Donald Trump ordered about 750 US soldiers deployed to the Middle East.

US officials earlier suggested they were to engage in further retaliatory attacks in Iraq.

The developments also represent a major downturn in Iraq-US relations that could further undermine US influence in the region and American troops in Iraq and weaken Washington’s hand in its pressure campaign against Iran.

US President Donald Trump was vacationing on his estate in Palm Beach, Florida, but sent out a tweet of an American flag.

The attack represents a dramatic escalation by the US toward Iran after months of tensions. The tensions take root in Trump’s decision in May 2018 to withdraw the US from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers, struck under his predecessor.