Revolutionary Guard commander promises to respond to any move directed at Iran

The commander of the Revolutionary Guard, Major General Hossein Salami, promised on Saturday to respond to “any step directed against Iran”, during his visit to the disputed island of Abu Musa with the Emirates, given the escalation of tension with the United States .

Iran’s threats to respond to any American aggression and prepare for all scenarios continue, while Iranian officials have repeated statements of revenge coinciding with the first anniversary of the assassination of Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani.

Salami inspected Iranian military forces on the disputed island of Abu Musa, on the eve of the first anniversary of the assassination of Major General Qassem Soleimani.

Soleimani was assassinated. Commander of the Quds Force in the Revolutionary Guards, in a US incursion into Iraq on January 3, 2020.

“We are here today to conduct an assessment and make sure of our strong capabilities at sea and against enemies who sometimes brag and threaten,” Salami said, “according to the guards’ official website,” Sepah News. “

“We will respond with an equal, decisive and powerful blow to any step that the enemy can take against us,” he added.

Qassem Soleimani was killed in a drone strike in Baghdad

Salami, accompanied by the commander of the naval forces of the guard, Ali Reza Tangsiri, inspected the forces on the island of Abu Musa, west of the Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately one fifth of the world’s oil production passes.

This visit follows another visit by Tangsiri to the islands of Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb on December 25 – which are the islands in dispute with the Emirates – where he highlighted the importance of the “readiness and alertness for combat” of the military forces, according to the Iranian agency “ISNA”. .

This comes amid growing tension between Tehran and Washington as the memory of Soleimani, one of Iran’s most prominent military leaders, looms.

This comes two days after Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif accused US President Donald Trump of seeking to create a “pretext” to launch a “war” against the Islamic Republic.

This followed US military movements in the region, which included the US aircraft carrier “USS Nimitz” and associated naval parts in Gulf waters in recent weeks, and the flight of strategic “B-52” bombers over the Gulf two times recently.

But US media reports said this week that Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller ordered the carrier to return to the country “to reduce tension.”

The New York Times quoted US officials as saying the move was a “de-escalation” signal against Tehran, following growing fears of a confrontation between the two sides in the remaining days for Trump in the White House.

Tense relationships

The decades-long relations between Iran and the United States witnessed additional tensions during the Trump era, which adopted a policy of “maximum pressure” towards Tehran.

In 2018, Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal between Tehran and major powers on the Iranian nuclear program and reimposed tough economic sanctions on Iran.

The two countries have been on the brink of a direct military confrontation twice since June 2019, especially after Soleimani’s assassination by a US drone strike near the Baghdad airport.

Days after this assassination, Tehran responded with missile attacks on military bases in Iraq where there are American soldiers.

Iranian officials confirm that the “revenge” against those involved in the murder has not yet been closed.