Tehran – Advisors to the leaders of the Islamic Revolution, Ali Larijani, Ayatollah Seiyed Ali Khamenei, stressed that American officials must either be involved in respectfully with Iran based on common economic interests or deny defeat with Iran based on the collapse of the Israeli regime.
Speaking at a ceremony in Tehran on Thursday, Larijani mentioned the contradictory positions of the US authorities, saying, “Peace flags cannot issue threats at the same time. Threats speak of human rights and equality, but history reveals how they dealt with their colonies.”
He emphasized that Tehran is making decisions based on fair and rational actions. “The Iranian state values peace, but that remains unshakable in defending its own interests,” he added.
Larijani’s remarks followed Ayatollah Khamenei’s recent speech, which took on the rise of tensions with the US during that time, saying, “Iran does not seek war, but if Americans and their agents make the wrong move, Iran’s response will be critical, and the US will be the ones who suffer the most.”
The leaders accused the US military threat of irrationality and warned that such provocation could have serious consequences. “Creating and causing damage to war is not one-sided,” he emphasized.
This is a recurring proposal by US President Donald Trump to consider military action if Iran engages in consultations and refuses to accept the proposed term for the new agreement.
Earlier this month, Trump announced that he had written a letter to Iranian leaders. “I wrote a letter saying I hope you will negotiate,” Trump said in an interview.
“We can burn all American interests in the region to ashes.”
The four-year-old video featuring Major General Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), gained great traction among Iranian social media users and resurfaced.
The video highlights Iran’s unwavering stance on perceived threats from the US.
In the video, General Salami argues, “American economic indicators are not in the states that allow them to manage new wars. American society also lacks the ability to withstand new casualties because of the different wars with Iran.”
He emphasizes that conflicts initiated by the United States require presence in the region. “If Americans want to fight us, they have to be in the area. They can’t fight us from outside the area. When they’re stationed here, they’re within our vision and range,” he says.
Salami also declared Iran’s ability to “burn and occupy all the interests and foundations of the region,” adding that it “can clean up the region.”
The IRGC commander details Iran’s preparations, explaining that the country’s military power was built on the worst-case scenario assumptions that include war between the United States and its allies.
“We developed our defenses with the logic of winning a vast war with America,” he says.
Salami also emphasizes its readiness to retaliate against Iran’s aggression, boasting “thousands of ground battalions” that can be mobilized to seize and destroy all American interests in the region.
He concludes by reaffirming Iran’s commitment to pursuing and punishing invaders.
Trump’s threat to hit Iranian cultural sites
The IRGC chief’s remarks were originally made in response to the Trump threat in 2020. During his first term, he issued a controversial statement threatening to target 52 Iranian cultural sites.
The declaration came in January 2020 following rising tensions between the US and Iran. Trump claimed it symbolized the American hostages filmed during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis (a nest of spying).
His comments sparked global rage, with critics denounced the threat as an attack on Iran’s rich cultural heritage and potential war crimes under the 1954 Hague Convention.
Despite his fiery rhetoric, Trump didn’t continue on the threat. The international community’s condemnation and potential impacts may have played a role in preventing such conduct. This episode highlighted the unstable nature of US-Iran relations during his administration.
In another incident in June 2019, Iran claimed that he shot down an American RQ-4 Global Hawk drone and violated Iran’s airspace.
The US claimed that the drone was flying through international waters, but Iran provided coordinates to support that claim. In a surprising move, Trump opposed the military response, citing concerns about potential victims.