In a Tuesday address to a group of Iranian veterans in the southern province of Kerman, General Soleimani referred to the IRGC’s latest missile strikes on ISIS positions in the Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor and said the strikes revealed the Islamic Republic’s strong will to inflict heavy blows on its enemies.
“The strikes also showed that the Iranian youths have made significant progress in the missile industry,” he noted, according to a Farsi report by Mizan.
Our missile attacks have left no doubt that the Islamic Republic will give a crushing response to any aggressor who dares to cross its redlines
He compared the IRGC’s missile strikes with those of the US-led coalition in Syria and said the former ones were more accurate and destructive.
He quoted the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, as saying, “I’m satisfied with the IRGC and my opinion would not change [given its good performance,].”
General Soleimani urged that the opponents should not judge the IRGC on his own personal performance.
“If you have problem with me, you are free to criticize me directly, but don’t undermine the IRGC because the military entity is not tied to me. Iran’s survival hinges on the presence of a strong IRGC.”
Soleimani referred to the religious sedition in the region caused by the Takfiri terrorists and said all Sunni leaders admit that a religious sedition has been created. “Though there are differences over the source of the sedition, all the leaders agree that this is a religious one,” he noted.
He added that those behind the sedition thought that they are going to bring to its knees the Islamic Republic, but in practice, they achieved a totally different result because the power and dignity of Iran was multiplied at the end.
“Today, the Islamic Republic has turned into one of the most favourite countries in the world due to its protection of the oppressed people of Iraq and Syria. Meanwhile, the global trust in the Islamic Republic has increased significantly,” he said.
The commander of Quds Force stressed that today the Iranians highly respect their military commanders, saying this is what exactly happened during the eight-year war imposed by Iraq on Iran that strengthened the Islamic Republic.
He referred to the features distinguishing a wise leader from a corrupt one and said the absence of a common sense in a country rich with oil resources leads to bitter incidents.
“The war on Yemen is an example of such condition. The war has become so huge that the corrupt rulers of Saudi Arabia are incapable of putting an end to it,” he said.
Major General Soleimani stressed the important role that religion can play in removing social woes and said by establishing communication with those who have weaker religious beliefs, the believers can make a healthy society.
He warned against undermining the status of the IRGC in the society and said the country needs the military power for its survival.
“Today, the IRGC has devoted itself to protecting people from all walks of life. We should remain vigilant. To have a dignified country in the world, we need to respect the IRGC,” he concluded.
