TEHRAN – A senior Basij official has slammed the designation of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) and its Quds Force commander, Major General Qassem Soleimani, as terrorist by the Saudi and Bahraini regimes.

Saudi Arabia and Bahrain added the IRGC and Soleimani to their terror lists on Oct. 23.

“This is not a new thing. Saudi Arabia is an obedient servant, mercenary, and yes-man to the global arrogance, and their statement is in line with the global arrogance’s antagonism against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Brigadier General Ali Pasha Mohammadi, the deputy commander of Basij Organization for administrative affairs said on Sunday, according to Mehr.

He highlighted that the al-Khalifa and al-Saud ruling families seek to put into action the strategies of the U.S. in the Middle East region, adding, “Imam Khomeini specified a benchmark for us. He said, ‘whenever the U.S. and our other enemies praise us, we should be aware that we are off-track. On the other hand, whenever they hold a grudge and resentment against us, we should know that we are on the right track.’”

Mohammadi further noted that the IRGC is the principal pillar in safeguarding the Islamic Republic’s “divine system”, adding it has created the front of Islamic awakening and Islamic resistance in the face of the global arrogance. 

“Hence, any action against the IRGC is indeed animosity and opposition against the very essence of the Islamic Republic,” he said. 

“Following the victory of the Islamic revolution, they have been struggling to weaken the Islamic Republic by different means,” he said, adding that the enemies have targeted their conspiracies at the IRGC and General Soleimani for that goal.