TEHRAN – U.S. military bases and vessels in the region are within the reach of Iranian missiles, says commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force.

For example, U.S. destroyers and frigates, which are stationed up to 2,000 kilometers from the Islamic Republic are within the reach of Iran, Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh said on Sunday. 

The commander said that after Iran shot down a U.S. spy drone over the Persian Gulf in July, the IRGC Aerospace Force was on high alert in a way that Iranian missiles were zeroed in on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, and an American warship in the Sea of Oman, Mehr reported.

“We would have hit those targets if the U.S. had shown a reaction,” he said.

“We have been constantly preparing ourselves for a full-fledged war,” Hajizadeh added.

Tensions started to build up between the U.S. and Iran after U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from the 2015 deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in May 2018 and imposed the harshest ever sanctions against Tehran in line with Washington’s “maximum pressure” on the Islamic Republic. Tehran has slammed the sanctions, which have affected the lives of thousands of Iranians, as “economic terrorism”.

On June 20, amid escalating tensions between the two sides, the IRGC Aerospace downed an American RQ-4 Global Hawk drone over the Strait of Hormuz after it violated Iranian airspace. 

Despite the U.S. claims that the drone had been flying over international waters, Iran said it had retrieved sections of the drone in its own territorial waters where it was shot down.

The drone was shot by Iran’s homegrown air defense missile system “Khordad-3rd”.

In remarks last month, Hajizadeh said the shooting down of the intruding U.S. drone shattered the specter of war against the Islamic Republic.

The enemies had launched an extensive propaganda campaign to threaten Iran with a war, in such a way that even the intelligence services of the friendly countries were warning Tehran about a looming military action, he said.

“We were confident that if they (enemies) had made the first mistake, we would have attacked their bases around us,” the commander stated.

MH/PA