In speaking to reporters in Tehran on Tuesday, the Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) threatened U.S. forces and said Iran’s ballistic missile range capability is sufficient, as missiles could already reach U.S. bases in the region.
Iran (Twitter)
And, Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari said Americans “fear consequences” of war with Iran, and he hinted that Iran and Russia – both countries that have recently been sanctioned by the United States – might possibly “grow more united” in efforts to defeat “the enemy,” presumably the U.S.
Jafari’s comments come as the U.S. passed more sanctions against the country and its ballistic missile program, which President Donald Trump has said is a dangerous threat to the U.S.
“Our missiles’ range is 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles), and that can be increased, but we believe this range is enough for the Islamic Republic, as most of the U.S. forces and most of their interests in the region are within this range,” Jafari said, as quoted by the Tasnim news agency, Reuters reported.
Iran (Twitter)
“Americans are trying to impose new sanctions against the Revolutionary Guards for its missile program, but that is an excuse to harm Iran’s economy,” Jafari said, Reuters reported.
According to Fars News Agency, Jafari said: “The Americans fear the consequences of war with Iran and know that if such a war starts, they will lose and therefore, they are after hitting a blow to the Islamic Republic through soft war and economic pressure.”
And, when asked by reporters about Russia, Jafari said Tuesday: “Today, Iran and Russia are entangled with almost similar pressures and sanctions and when the enemy has a single plot for both, we naturally grow more united.”
President Donald Trump said in October that the U.S. will not certify the Iran nuclear deal, and it is now up to Congress to address the deal’s “serious flaws” in order to protect the American people from any threats of nuclear weapons.
Trump said if Congress can’t reach a solution, then the Iran nuclear agreement would be “terminated.”
The President has called the deal “one of the worst” and “the most one-sided transaction the United States has ever entered into,” and he reiterated his sentiments when he announced the U.S. would not certify the deal yet – he said the “rogue regime” of Iran is only perpetuating terrorism around the world, and is becoming more aggressive in doing so.
“The Iranian dictatorship […] remains the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism,” the President had said, saying the regime provides assistance to al-Qaida, the Taliban, Hezbollah, Hamas and other terrorists.
As for the 2015 landmark deal forged by Iran and the Obama Administration, Trump said: “We got weak inspections in exchange for no more than a purely short-term, temporary delay for Iran on its path toward nuclear weapons.”
Additionally, along with pushing the deal back to Congress, the President authorized the U.S. Treasury to impose sanctions on Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which he called a “corrupt personal terror force.”
Iranian officials have pushed back against the President’s comments. Iran has denied it is on a quest to build missiles that could carry nuclear warheads, and the country has said it wants to build its nuclear arsenal only for civilian use.
During his speech last month at the United Nations General Assembly, Trump accused Iran of funding terrorists and creating a dangerous missile arsenal. The Iranian President later came out and said flatly that Iran wants to strengthen its missile capabilities – and doesn’t intend to ask permission to do it.
The Iranian nuclear deal was drawn up in 2015 with Iran, the U.S. and five other nations. Its framework includes stipulations that Iran would redesign, convert and reduce its number of nuclear facilities in order to lift nuclear-related economical sanctions, which would reportedly free up billions of dollars in oil revenue and frozen assets for Iran. The U.S. and Iran also agreed to their own terms, along with terms penned with other nations.
