Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan, a senior military advisor to the Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, says the United States should withdraw from Syria because it has not come to Syria on the invitation of the Syrians.
“If the Syrian government and the Syrian people want to confront the United States in eastern Euphrates and seek help from Iran, Iran is prepared to support Damascus in this confrontation,” added Dehqan, in a Sunday interview with the Arabic service o RT news channel.
He denied the existence of any military bases belonging to Iran in Iraq and weapon factories in Syria, saying, “We do not have weapon factories there. It is not true. We do not build weapons in Syria.”
Regarding the situation in the Syrian province of Idlib, he stated that “terrorists should not be left alone to move from a place to another. We have to deal with the terrorists there and eliminate them. Wherever they go, they undermine security; therefore, we should separate them from those who do not approve of terrorism.”
Iran to Help Yemenis If They Ask for It
Dehqan also expressed Tehran’s preparedness to help the Yemeni nation against the Saudi aggression.
He said if Yemenis ask for help, the Islamic Republic of Iran will help them. “Why not? They are the oppressed people who have nothing to defend themselves.”
He further underscored that Americans think if the Yemeni people give up and bow to Saudi Arabia, then they will be good people.
“Yemenis, with whatever they have, are defending themselves and can receive help from anyone, and if they ask for help, we will help them.”
Moreover, he said Iran can give them whatever they need. “Of course, Iran has no military presence in Yemen and will not have,” underlined former Iranian defence minister.
Dehqan also explained that the Yemeni people are naturally defending themselves, and for this reason, they will receive assistance; therefore, it is natural if some parties want to support them, they would do it definitely.
“However, it is cruel to say that the Houthis are not entitled to get help from anyone. This is while Saudi Arabia is allowed to buy arms from any country to commit every crime such as bombing the weddings and the mourning ceremonies and targeting hospitals and school buses.”
“Saudi Arabia is killing civilians and putting economic pressure on Yemenis. How can such permissions be given? This comes as when Yemenis defend themselves and get help from someone, they are condemned. What kind of logic is this?”
Iran to Increase Range of Missiles If Needed
Dehqan also pointed to Iran’s missile power, and reiterated that it is not at all negotiable, because it is a matter of being and not being.
“It is a matter of authority, honour, independence and national trust and cannot be negotiated. If Americans think they can negotiate with us on this issue, they are very optimistic and they are wrong. We do not negotiate over our missile capability under any circumstances,” Fars News Agency quoted him as saying.
“Considering the current threats, we are able to develop our missiles in the shortest time,” he said.
General Dehqan further noted that Iran’s missile capability is sufficient to cope with threats, but if threats change and there is a need to respond to new ones, there is no obstacle to increasing the range of missiles.
US, Israel Not to Wage Direct War against Iran
Elsewhere in his remarks, Dehqan stated that “the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia are leading a great sedition in the region,” but they would not be able to get engaged in a direct war with Iran.
“We do not think that the Americans or Israelis will wage a direct war against Iran, but they may carry out military operations against our allies in Syria or Iraq under some pretexts. Every decision will have a price.”
He also noted that Saudi Arabia is not an independent country, and thus cannot decide on regional issues by itself. “Saudi Arabia has no political, economic, and geographic potential to get engaged in a war against Iran.”
Riyadh Wants to Say Iraqis Are against Iran
In response to a question regarding the recent events in Iraq’s Basra, including an arson attack on the Iranian consulate, he said, “They want to say the Shiite people of Basra are rising against Iran. Let me be a little transparent here. Saudi Arabia wants to say if you want a government close to Iran, the events in Basra are the result. Riyadh wants to say that the Iraqi people are against Iran.”
The former defence minister added that “we are not trying to form a government for Iraq in Iran. The Iraqi people must decide on their own. Iraq has its own parliament, coalitions, and factions to elect a government. Why are the US and Saudi Arabia interfering in the formation of the Iraqi government? They have to let the Iraqi political currents decide for themselves.”
