© theiranproject.comIranian Brigadier General Hossein Salami
The Middle East, considered one of the most unstable regions in the world, was further plunged into an escalation of tensions following the killing of Qasem Soleimani, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander, early on Friday in a targeted airstrike ordered by US President Donald Trump.
IRGC Major General Hossein Salami has stated that "the assassination of martyred General Qasem Soleimani will be followed by a strategic revenge which will definitely put an end to the US presence in the region", according to Fars News.
Salami highlighted that
Iran's response would come "in a vast geography throughout time and with determining impacts". In apparent effort to double down on his pledge, the commander suggested that his statement "should come in written, since everyone will see its realization."
The situation in the Middle East, which has more recently been in a state of turmoil since the Trump administration's 2019 unilateral withdrawal from the 2015 Iran Nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), has
worsened after the killing of IRGC's Quds commander Qasem Souleimani at the order of the US president on Friday.
Following the raid which led to Soleimani's assassination,
Iran has vowed to retaliate, with separate militias issuing warnings to the US. On Saturday,
Kataib Hezbollah, Iraqi Shia militias within the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces,
threatened to launch attacks on military bases used by US forces in Iraq beginning Sunday evening.Hours after the Hezbollah statement,
Trump claimed that any attack against US citizens or assets would be reciprocated with a counterattack against "52 Iranian sites (representing the 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago)".
Comment: Iranian Admiral:
We'll force US Navy out of the Persian Gulf
US forces and allies will soon be forced out of the Persian Gulf waters, where they have been seeking to establish a foothold for years, says Iran's navy commander.
Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi said that in his view the United States has come to find itself with very little elbow room in the regional waters to advance its attempted objective of setting up a coalition to protect its interests. "We should force them out as soon as possible. God willing, this will happen and it is shaping up in various aspects already," said Khanzadi.
The interview was made before the US military conducted a vicious operation in Baghdad during the early hours of Friday, assassinating Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).
Khanzadi had said the United States had gone to considerable lengths to peel Russia and China away from the joint war games in the Sea of Oman and in the India Ocean in late December.
He said the presence of the US Navy and its allies, including the British, in the Persian Gulf is not a matter of concern to Iran.
"Each aircraft carrier dispatched to the region is deployed within 300 miles from the Iranian borders. Such massive equipment floats idly and this piles huge pressure on the Americans and the British," said Khanzadi. "Others do not wish to pay the cost for such a deceitful game. This is why no country is joining their coalition."
The unforgivable has been done and it has served not only to unite all of Iran, but the entire region. The US/UK are now in the crosshairs while Israel sits on the sidelines gloating.
Comment: Iranian Admiral: We'll force US Navy out of the Persian Gulf The unforgivable has been done and it has served not only to unite all of Iran, but the entire region. The US/UK are now in the crosshairs while Israel sits on the sidelines gloating.