The former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that the massive turnout of the Iranian nation on January 12 has produced a serious deadlock in the United States’ plan.
Brigadier General Mohsen Rezaei, while paying tribute to the souls of the martyrs of the recent terrorist incidents, expressed gratitude for the epic participation of the wise Iranian nation in the massive march of January 12, as well as for the magnificent funeral ceremonies held for the martyrs who defended the security of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Stating that immediately after the 12-day war, the enemies—who had suffered a humiliating defeat and whose conspiracies had been thwarted—saw, on the one hand, the unity and solidarity of the people with the Islamic Establishment; therefore, they decided to change their model.
According to him, the enemies planned to first separate the people from the Islamic Establishment, and impose severe economic pressures through the ‘snapback’ mechanism and sanctions. "Thus, they were waiting for the people to come out in a protest movement ... so that they could attack Iran."
Referring to Trump’s threats amid these conspiracies, he added, “American threats sometimes cause several countries to retreat, but the honorable people of Iran, with their storm-like presence, delivered a crushing response to the enemy’s threats. Nevertheless, the enemies will continue their conspiracies, because after their humiliating defeat in the 12-day war, they were also defeated in the recent plot. Therefore, under these critical circumstances, the country’s security forces must remain at the highest level of readiness and vigilance.”
Major General Rezaei went on to say, “Another reason for the Iranian people’s resistance is their deep distrust of Europe and the United States and the bitter historical experiences of coups and conspiracies by them against popular movements, as well as the plundering of the country’s resources. The Iranian people are no longer deceived by the likes of Trump.”
Stating that Trump does not realize that Iran is a quagmire for him in which the more he advances, the worse his situation will become, Rezaei said, “The enemy should have realized that after their defeat in the 12-day war they needed to step back, but they again plotted and intended, by resorting to their mercenaries, to kill several tens of thousands of Iranians and fabricate a pretext to attack Iran. They were defeated in this second conspiracy as well.”
“Trump is seeking a short, limited attack and war and imagines that he can start a war and then, after a short time, request a ceasefire and that we would accept it. But he must know that in the second year of the eight-year war (Iran-Iraq war), while five provinces of Iran were occupied, within nine months, we liberated 90 percent of the occupied areas and entered Iraqi territory. Until the end of the war, despite all the pleas by the United States and the Soviet Union for a ceasefire, we did not accept it."
"Today, however, we tell you [US President Donald Trump] that if you advance any further, there will be no talk of a ceasefire anymore, and the patience of the Iranian nation has its limits.”
While expressing friendship with neighboring countries, Major General Rezaei emphasized, “In the event of any aggression by the United States, none of the American bases in the region will be safe. As a soldier of the Iranian nation, I state that if the United States commits any mistake, there will no longer be any guaranteed restraint.”
He concluded by saying that Iran’s armed forces are fully prepared, stressing that any conflict would result in a “very crushing” response from Iran.
MNA