US marginalized in Mideast region: Iran commander

A senior Iranian commander says the power of the United States in the Middle East has diminished while the Islamic Republic has turned into the region’s main player.

“The US has become marginalized from a major player in the region and instead the Islamic [Republic of] Iran has become this sensitive region’s most important administrator…,” Brigadier General Hossein Salami, the second-in-command of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), said in the central city of Isfahan on Thursday.

Elsewhere in his comments, Salami highlighted Iran’s power in the region, saying, “Today our first strongholds have been located in Eastern Mediterranean and Iran has turned into a global hub in politics.”

Arrogant powers used all their capacities to prevent the formation of new powers that went against their interests throughout history and they applied “the most severe type of these measures” in the case of the Islamic Republic throughout the past three decades and more, the commander added.

“Today we have no fear of international powers and we have lined up our might in the face of their excessive demands,” he further pointed out.

In recent years, Iran has made major breakthroughs in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing important military equipment and systems.

The Islamic Republic has also conducted military drills to enhance the defense capabilities of its military and to test modern military tactics and equipment.

Iran has repeatedly said that its military might poses no threat to other countries, reiterating that its defense doctrine is based on deterrence.