TEHRAN – A commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps has cautioned the bullying countries not to jeopardize their interests by threatening those of Iran, saying Tehran’s threat of retaliation against countries seeking to block Iranian oil exports is “not an empty threat”.

In an interview with Tasnim published on Saturday, IRGC Deputy Commander for Political Affairs Yadollah Javani said the Islamic Republic is ready for retaliation in case its interests are threatened.

“When a country threatens Iran and raises the idea that it can block Iranian oil exports if it wants to, then Iran’s reciprocal action is a genuine threat,” Javani said.

The general also slammed “foreign interference” and activities by the proxies of foreign groups and trans-regional countries as the root cause of instability in the region.

Highlighting Iran’s role in ensuring the security in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, the general said Iran has a strategic position, has control over the waterways of such a critical region, and enjoys great capabilities and political determination.

His comments came one day after IRGC Chief Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari slammed the enemies’ rhetoric of harsh military action on Iran and said the enemies have found it impossible to carry out threats against the Islamic Republic.

In separate remarks on Thursday, IRGC Quds Force Commander Major General Qassem Soleimani warned that the U.S. may begin a war against Iran, but it is Iran which will “end” it.

Soleimani was reacting to U.S. President Donald Trump’s all-caps tweet addressed to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, in which he threatened the Islamic Republic with actions “the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered before.”

The tweet came after President Rouhani warned the U.S. against its hostile approach against Iran, saying Washington should know that “peace with Iran will be the mother of all peace while war with the country will be the mother of all wars”.

MH/PA