The head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a chilling warning to the United States and Israel on Wednesday, telling them they have an ‘expiration date’ and could face missile threats.
Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami addressed troops in Dezful, southwestern Iran, with a message designed to build domestic defiance.
He issued a stark threat to what the Iranian Tasnim news outlet described as ‘the Zionist regime’ and outlined Tehran’s approach to sanctions imposed by Washington.
He said Israel will have to ‘endure the bitter taste of missiles if it is not careful,’ according to the Jerusalem Post.
And he said Iran’s enemies carried an ‘expiration date.’
His angry comments come at a pivotal moment in U.S.-Iran relations.
After months of on-off talks, negotiators are close to finalizing a return to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which would curb Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions.
As DailyMail.com reported recently, Washington is even considering dropping its terrorist designation for the Revolutionary Guards to get the deal done.
Supporters of the plan say it would make little material difference as the corps are already covered by a slew of sanctions making it hard for the group to do business.
Salami claimed that the U.S. ‘strategy of strong, aggressive sanctions’ had strengthened the I.R.G.C. ‘in every way.’
‘The enemies are gradually retreating and their policies are no longer effective,’ he said.
The result was a new era, he continued.
‘The sun has set on the evil powers,’ he said, adding that the Islamic revolution has ‘accelerated the erosion and decay of Western civilizations.’
And he used the example of the American assassination of Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani – killed by a drone strike in 2020 – to show how Iran would always fight back
‘We do not only hold funerals for our martyrs but also exact immediate revenge for them,’ he said.
Senior U.S. generals believe that Iran remains the biggest danger to the Middle East.
‘Iran’s ballistic missile threat has continued to advance and expand with greater ranges and accuracy,’ said Gen. Frank McKenzie, the outgoing head of Central Command, last week.
The threat to American interests, were on display last weekend when its rockets smashed into a U.S. Army base and a Kurdish news channel office in Erbil, Northern Iraq.
Iran later claimed responsibility, saying it mounted the attack in retaliation for an Israeli strike in Syria that killed two members of its Revolutionary Guard last week.
No one was hurt in the attack on Erbil.
Last month, Iran unveiled the latest weapon in its arsenal.
The Khaibar-buster, a reference to a Jewish castle overrun by Muslim warriors led by Prophet Mohammed in the early days of Islam, has a range of 900 miles and runs on solid fuel, state media reported.
The IRGC was accused of being an ‘active and enthusiastic participant in acts of terror,’ when it was designated a terrorist group – including the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, which killed 241 US personnel, and the 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers complex in Saudi Arabia, which killed 19 US Air Force service members.
Today it is accused of arming rebel groups or other terrorist organizations in the Middle East.
In December, two huge shipments of arms – including 171 surface-to-air missile and eight anti-tank missiles – were seized from vessels en route to supply Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The idea of lifting the terrorism designation has infuriated Washington’s ally Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett recently said there remained a huge distance between the US and Iran in talks.
Source » dailymail