IRGC to establish separate missile command

August 28, 2008 - 0:0

TEHRAN -- Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Commander Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari announced here on Monday that the IRGC plans to establish a separate missile command.

Jafari stated that the move is being made to upgrade the IRGC missile department.
Pointing to the external threats against Iran, he said, “An attack against Iran by the United States is not possible without the cooperation of Israel, and the United States needs Israel for such an attack. This need for cooperation is itself a deterrent factor for a strike on Iran because of the vulnerability of Israel.”
The geographical location of Israel and Iran’s external capabilities for dealing a blow to Israel are two more reasons why a strike against Iran is unlikely, he observed.
“Our strategic appraisals and estimates reveal that the slightest movement against our interests by Israel… would destabilize all the territories under the Zionist regime’s control in no time. The Zionist regime lacks strategic depth and is entirely within range of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s missiles. Our missile capability is such that the Zionist regime, with all its facilities, will not be able to confront it,” Jafari added.
“The Israelis are surely aware that in the event of any measure against Iran, the Islamic world and the Shia world would deliver the coup de grace,” he said.
Jafari emphasized that Iran’s plans for countering any attack are worked out with the U.S. in mind not Israel.
The response will be “swift, firm, scathing, and unbelievable,” he said.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the commander noted that the IRGC has cultural, political, and military duties and is tasked with responding to all external threats.
Jafari called “organizational flexibility” one of the most important characteristics of the IRGC.
“The (revolutionary guard) corps is not a rigid military organization. Flexibility is a prerequisite because, depending on the nature of the threat, its mission would change.”
He also said the recent structural reforms of the IRGC were instituted to improve the quantitative and qualitative capabilities of the organization in light of current and future threats