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IRGC Commander: US Base in Northern Iraq No Threat to Iran

Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari downplayed enemies' war rhetoric against Tehran, and said the US military base in Northern Iraq is not considered a threat to Iran.

IRGC Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari

“The US base (in Iraq’s Kurdistan region) is not a threat to us and we believe that we have left behind (the era of) the superpowers’ direct threats and no matter how thoughtless the enemies can be in foreseeing the future, we believe the issue with direct threat is over now,” Jafari said in a press conference in Tehran on Tuesday.

He said that the US military base in Northern Iraq is meant to support the Iraqi Kurds who have been deployed in Erbil region.

Also asked about Iran’s position on the United States’ possible airstrikes on ISIL or even government positions on Syrian soil and Damascus’s possible response, Jafari said, “We will certainly show political reaction, but we will not show any direct military action.”

“The Islamic Republic of Iran’s policy is supporting Syria, and this action of the United States is bullying and is condemned,” he said, but he meantime underlined, “They will regret if they take such an action.”

Emad Askarieh

Emad Askarieh has worked as a journalist since 2002. The main focus of his work is foreign policy and world diplomacy. He started his career at Iran Front Page Media Group, and is currently serving as the World Editor and the Vice-President for Executive Affairs at the Iran Front Page (IFP) news website.