Commander Warns Trump Administration against Anti-Iran Moves
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri denounced the US congressional bill on new sanctions against Tehran and warned Washington to be more cautious about its approaches toward the Islamic Republic.
In remarks released on Wednesday, Brigadier General Jazayeri underlined that the Trump administration should be more careful about its stances on the Islamic Republic.
The Republican-controlled US House of Representatives passed a sweeping package of bills on Iran, Russia, and North Korea sanctions Tuesday in a 419-3 vote, sending the legislation to the Senate for almost certain passage and likely making it veto-proof.
The US legislation would impose mandatory penalties on people involved in Iran's ballistic missile program and anyone who does business with them.
Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, US, Britain, France, and Germany) on July 14, 2015, reached a conclusion over the text of the JCPOA. The accord took effect in January 2016 and was supposed to terminate all nuclear-related sanctions against Iran all at once, but its implementation has been hampered mainly due to US policies.
Brigadier General Jazayeri further highlighted the might of Iran’s armed forces and their capabilities to counter threats.
“Our armed forces, relying on massive popular support and their own strength and confidence, will push their ways to reach the peaks of progress,” he stressed, adding that they will also counteract the US and make it regret its mischievous acts.
The commander went on to say that the Iranian Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) are “two powerful wings” of the Islamic Establishment that will change the game in every battlefield against the US.
The comments came after the IRGC said one of its patrol ships had neutralized an act of provocation by a US military ship north of the Persian Gulf, south of Iran.
On Tuesday, a US official was quoted by media as saying that warning shots were fired from a US Navy vessel towards an Iranian boat north of the Persian Gulf.
The official claimed that the warning shots by US vessel happened after the Iranian ship came within 137 meters of it.
In reply the IRGC third naval zone said that its forces neutralized the US vessel’s provocative move.
“This morning, a US military ship in the north of the Persian Gulf sailed toward an IRGC Navy’s patrol ship, which was patrolling in international waters, and fired two shots into the air for provocation and intimidation,” the IRGC said.
The statement added that “the IRGC Navy’s vessel paid no attention to the provocative and unprofessional move” by the US ship and continued with its mission and after a while the US Navy ship left the area.