Iran – Commander of Iran’s Basij force Brigadier General Gholam-Hossein Gheib-Parvar rejected claims about a shift in the US’ Iran policy under the new US administration, but meantime warned that his country knows how to defend itself.
“It would be of surprise if the US president acted differently; have they been acting any differently before,” General Gheib-Parvar said on Sunday in reaction to the US administration’s saber-rattling rhetoric against Iran.
The Basij commander who was speaking to reporters in Iran’s Northeastern city of Mashhad assessed Trump’s hawkish statements against Iran as undigested, but still in line with the US’ long-pursued overall policy towards Iran, and added, “Our people have seen many such animosities and we know how to defend ourselves.”
US President Donald Trump claimed on Sunday that Iran “lost respect” for the US in the wake of the 2015 nuclear deal signed between Tehran and the world powers, and that it now feels “emboldened” by the agreement. Also early Thursday, Trump echoed his national security adviser Michael Flynn’s comments a day earlier that Iran is now formally “on notice” for firing a ballistic missile.
Iran has been formally PUT ON NOTICE for firing a ballistic missile. Should have been thankful for the terrible deal the US made with them! he tweeted, without providing any other details. Iran was on its last legs and ready to collapse until the US came along and gave it a life-line in the form of the Iran Deal: $150 billion. Flynn during a surprise appearance in the White House briefing room on Wednesday criticized Iran for its recent ballistic missile test.
In response, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council [SNSC] Ali Shamkhani underlined his country’s continued progress and advancement in its defense and missile program, saying that the country is strongly opposed to foreign interference.
“We will not take permission from any country or international organization to develop our conventional defense power and we will confront any foreign interference in the defense affairs, including the Islamic Republic of Iran’s missile power,” Shamkhani said in a meeting with Armenian Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan in Tehran on Wednesday.
Elsewhere, he blasted the western countries for their attempts to use sanctions to restrict the countries which are victims of terrorism, including Iran and Syria, and the West’s support for terrorist groups.
“The Takfiri armed groups which are supported by certain regional states intellectually and financially beside the Zionist regime are two main threats to global security and unfortunately, the paper coalitions [those which have merely been formed on paper and take no practical measures] have not had any defensible performance in controlling these threats,” Shamkhani said.
Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan confirmed on Wednesday that his country has tested a missile recently, describing it as part of Iran’s defense programs. “The recent test was in line with our programs and we don’t allow any foreign party to interfere in our defense affairs,” General Dehqan told reporters in Tehran in reaction to the recent UN Security Council meeting on Iran’s missile test.
Source: News Agencies
