Tuesday, 05 January 2021 6:03 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 05 January 2021 6:27 PM ]
US Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) (L) talks with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) during a rally with fellow Democrats before voting on H.R. 1, or the People Act, on the East Steps of the US Capitol on March 08, 2019 in Washington, DC. (AFP photo)
Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri reviews Iranian military drones and their operators during drills in Semnan, Iran, on January 5, 2021. (Photo by IRNA)
Iran’s top military commander says the country’s Armed Forces are optimally alert and “have fingers on the trigger” to respond to the slightest mistake by enemy forces in the region.
Referring to the ongoing military buildup by the “terrorist and criminal military” of the United States in the region and accusations against Iran, Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri said on Tuesday that the Iranian military was fully prepared to defend against any aggression.
He was speaking on the sidelines of a large-scale drill by Iran’s Army, which the general said was intended to showcase Iranian preparedness against military threats.
“Although the Islamic Republic of Iran has no intention of carrying out an act of aggression and violation against any neighboring country, it is fully ready [to counter] any threat,” Major General Baqeri said.
“Our heroic Armed Forces have their fingers on the trigger, and in the event of the slightest mistake by the enemies, the Armed Forces will surely give a resolute response,” he added.
Baqeri’s remarks come amid heightened tensions between Iran and the US during President Donald Trump’s final days in office.
On Sunday, acting US Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller instructed the USS Nimitz to remain in the Persian Gulf due to what he described as Iranian threats “against President Trump and other US government officials,” reversing an earlier decision to move the aircraft carrier out of the Middle East.
Last week, two nuclear-capable American B-52 bombers flew over the Persian Gulf after nonstop flights to the region from their US-based hangars. The nuclear-powered submarine USS Georgia also arrived in the Persian Gulf accompanied by two American warships.
The US military buildup comes during the one-year anniversary of the assassination by the US military of Iran’s top anti-terror commander, Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani.
In pictures: Iranians commemorate their national hero on his martyrdom anniversary
In pictures: Iranians commemorate their national hero on his martyrdom anniversary
People in different cities of Iran have marked the first anniversary of the US assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani.
Earlier, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Division Brigadier General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh warned certain regional Arab countries against the adverse consequences of cooperation with the United States and the Israeli regime, saying they would sustain the most damage in case of any possible war in the region.
“If something happens here (in the region) and a war breaks out, we will make no distinction between the US bases and the countries hosting them,” Hajizadeh said.
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News / Defense
Israel, Saudi tempting US into war with Iran in Trump’s final days: Commander
Tuesday, 05 January 2021 2:07 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 05 January 2021 2:45 PM ]
US Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) (L) talks with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) during a rally with fellow Democrats before voting on H.R. 1, or the People Act, on the East Steps of the US Capitol on March 08, 2019 in Washington, DC. (AFP photo)
Brigadier General Mohammad Hejazi, deputy commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) (Photo by Mehr News Agency)
A senior Iranian military commander says intelligence shows that the Israeli regime and Saudi Arabia are trying to drag the United States into war with Iran in order to complicate matters for the next administration in Washington.
Brigadier General Mohammad Hejazi, deputy commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), made the remarks while addressing a ceremony in Tehran on Tuesday.
The official said his warning about the incitement to war was based on mere “analysis,” but it had been verified through actual intelligence that the Islamic Republic had received.
“The Zionist regime [of Israel] and countries such as Saudi Arabia are trying to bring about a crisis and tension during Trump’s final days, and achieve their goals [thereby],” Hejazi said.
He said although outgoing US President Donald Trump was entangled in attempts to disprove his electoral loss and that American institutions, such as the military, could defy him on a potential decision for military action, Tel Aviv and Riyadh would still try “to drag him into a vortex.”
“They (the Israeli and Saudi regimes) want to exact revenge on Iran and put the next US president on a downward path, from which he would not be able to return,” the commander said.
He said the dual regimes had launched the campaign because the policies that have been announced by Trump’s successor, Joe Biden, do not sit well with them.
In warning to US, Iran FM says any fireworks will backfire badly
In warning to US, Iran FM says any fireworks will backfire badly
Iran warns outgoing US President Trump not to be trapped by an Israeli plan to provoke a war through attacks on American forces in Iraq.
However, the Islamic Republic and its Armed Forces “are prepared and on alert and keep the Americans’ movements under surveillance,” the official said.
He, therefore, warned Washington against inviting trouble for itself and its allies by resorting to adventurism.
