TEHRAN – A top general with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Sunday that the enemies of Iran failed to inflict damage on the resistance of the Iranian people during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s and they will once again fail to harm the Iranian people.

“The internal and external enemies should know that our nation was always united against oppression and arrogance during the imposed war, and the hostile countries could not harm this popular resistance, and the enemies today cannot certainly do anything,” said Rear Admiral Ali Reza Tangsiri, the commander of the IRGC’s navy.

Speaking in a ceremony in the southern city of Abadan, the commander said Iran is a rich country and, therefore, the enemy cannot bring the Iranian nation to its knees.

“Today, the main issue of our country is the livelihood of the people. Officials should use everything in their power to resolve problems,” noted Tangsiri. He added, “The official who works in the Islamic Republic if he hears the voice of justice and does not act on it, must be accountable to God and God's people. We must be careful that worldly assets do not change us because the enemy is always in ambush; one day with Umayyad dinars and today with U.S. dollars.”

In a clear warning to the enemies, the top commander said Iran will give a tough response to the enemy’s threat.

“If the enemy threatens our nation, we will respond to him with the strongest threats. Before the revolution, the range of imported missiles for our vessels was limited to 45 km, while today, thanks to the capable youth of the Revolutionary Guards and the Ministry of Defense, our cruise missiles have a range of 700 to 1000 km,” said Tangsiri.

He also pointed to the assassination of IRGC Quds Force commander General Qassem Soleimani, saying, “The enemy is doing his best to assassinate the likes of General Soleimani, but he does not know that the nation that longs for martyrdom is not afraid of death, and after our departure, there would be many Hajj Qassems in this country who will respond to the call of truth.”

The IRGC’s Quds Force commander was assassinated in an American drone strike in early January near Baghdad’s international airport along with Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces. In response, Iran showered an Iraqi base housing American troops in the western governorate of al-Anbar. Dozens of American service members have incurred brain injuries as a result of the Iranian missile attack.

MS/PA