The chief commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has hailed the capabilities of the force’s missiles and their deterrence.
“Our missiles can strike any enemy target in the region and overcome enemy’s all anti-missile systems,” Major General Hossein Salami said, addressing an event in the capital Tehran on Monday.
“This is the power that was once demonstrated at Ain al-Asad, showing our capacity and will to confront. This power is the basis of our deterrence,” he added.
The commander was referring to the Corps’ retaliatory strikes against the US-occupied Ain al-Asad Airbase in the western Iraqi province of al-Anbar on January 3, 2020. The reprisal came in response to Washington’s earlier assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, Iran’s former top anti-terror commander, and his companions during a drone attack near Baghdad International Airport.
“Today, the IRGC Navy can fight with the enemy anywhere,” Salami went on.
The commander described the Corps as “greater than all other powers,” saying, “Today, it is impossible to [truly] depict the full grandeur of the IRGC.”
“The enemy will expire, but the IRGC and the [Islamic Republic’s] Basij [volunteer force] will never expire,” he noted.
‘Major changes’ to IRGC’s prowess, firepower, capabilities
Salami added that today, the Corps had taken immense strides towards enhancing its armory and combat skills.
“In terms of weaponry, it (the Corps) is far more advanced and much more skilled in its capabilities [than before], remaining highly motivated in building [even more] power.”
‘IRGC fights enemies before they even start war’
According to the commander, the IRGC forces have not been afraid of sacrificing their lives towards defending the nation since the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution.
“They (the warriors) reached the enemy and learned from [founder of the Islamic Republic] Imam Khomeini that they must fight the enemy before it enters war with us.”
Salami pointed to the tumultuous stages that the Corps had gone through since its establishment following the Revolution’s victory, saying, “The IRGC has grown in the heart of great events and fought even at the threshold of its birth, and, in reality, it has forged its identity in the battlefield.”
“The IRGC has learned not to fear the outward glory of empires,” he added.
The commander said the country’s enemies were confident in the eventual success of their efforts at destroying the Corps and Basij, but the IRGC, indifferent to the uncertainties of each battlefield, stepped into the field and emerged victorious on the back of precise planning and good execution..
The Corps, however, is not spared of the enemies’ conspiracies today either, Salami said, noting that the adversaries are, nevertheless, facing “this immense array of power of our warriors.”
‘Aerospace Force poses serious challenge to enemies’
Detailing some aspects of the IRGC’s advancements, Salami enumerated the achievements of the Corps’ Aerospace and Quds Force.
Regarding the Aerospace Force, he said, “The impact of this power is felt instantly, and the enemy sees this power everywhere.”
“Today, [however], we are witnessing [only] a small portion of this force’s power being used, but it has managed to change global equations and has become a serious challenge for our enemies.”
He also spoke about the Corps’ Quds Force, stating, “This force has pulled the enemy out of its strategic refuge and into the battlefield, where it (the force) has built power at all points. It has built powerful sanctuaries for the oppressed, taken apart the enemy’s energy across vast fields, and subjected them to gradual erosion.”
