Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri says the main objective of the United States’ new strategies is to topple the Islamic Republic of Iran’s establishment, something that the US secretary of state openly announced in recent days.
According to a Farsi report by Tasnim News Agency, General Baqeri said, “Somebody who intends to overthrow us (the Iranian government) does not deserve [to sit down for] talks [with us].”
He referred to Washington’s recent anti-Iran laws such as the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), and said, “The law is aimed at driving a wedge between the Iranian government and people, and put us in a dilemma, i.e. either to accept to defend our dignity while having livelihood problems, or to accept humiliation and destruction while pinning our hopes on the Americans’ promise of reducing the livelihood difficulties.”
The top general noted that if sanctions against Iran are reinstated, Tehran will definitely pull out of the Iran nuclear deal.
He also touched upon the White House’s backing for the ISIS terrorist group.
“The Americans have openly and repeatedly relocated ISIS commanders and sent them arms. The Americans themselves have said that ISIS is their handiwork,” he said.
General Baqeri further said the US wanted to drag threats to the Iranian borders and even inside Iran, adding, “Unfortunately, the Americans managed to do so in one or two cases, but they were suppressed in Iran.”