TEHRAN – The Islamic Republic is not looking for war with any country but is ready to counter any threat posed by the enemies, chief of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said on Sunday.

“We are not looking for war and yet we are not afraid of it either, but on the other hand, our enemies lack the will to wage a war and are afraid of fighting,” Major General Hossein Salami said, Tasnim reported.

“The Americans’ political philosophy is to plunder nations and pave the way for modern slavery and unilateral dominance over the fate of nations, but such philosophy has failed,” he added.

The general said Washington is well aware that engaging in a conflict with Iran would not be in its interest.

Highlighting the Iranian armed forces’ readiness to counter threats, Salami said Iran is currently in an “intelligence war” with the United States and other enemies.

“This means a mixture of psychological and cyber operations, military movements, public diplomacy and intimidation,” he remarked.

The IRGC chief further pointed to the gradual decline of big powers, saying that the IRGC is “at the forefront of a confrontation” with the exhausted and disheartened enemies who are looking for a new way to regain power.

General Salami also said that the proximity of American forces to Iran has given the IRGC the opportunity to mobilize its forces. 

“When the threat is distant from us, we deal with it on a strategic scale, but when the threat approaches us, we will be activated at the operational levels as well,” he concluded.

Salami made the remarks at a ceremony to introduce his new deputies.

It came three days after Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei named Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi as the IRGC second-in command and Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi as the IRGC deputy chief for coordination affairs.

Ayatollah Khamenei, who is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces under the constitution, mandated the two officers with promoting efficiency and operational readiness of the Guards.

Last month, the United States designated the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization. The measure elicited some angry reactions in Iran, where the parliament passed a bill designating U.S. forces in the region, including CENTCOM, the U.S. central commands in the Persian Gulf region, as a terrorist group.

MH/PA