Gen. Rasoul Sanayee Raad, deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), on Wednesday became the latest Iranian military commander to threaten military action against the United States and confidently predict Iran would emerge victorious from such a conflict.
Raad’s bluster was quoted by Iran’s state-run Fars news service:
“War against Iran will have nothing for the US but heavy costs and the Islamic Republic of Iran’s deterrent power can inflict heavy damage on the US,” General Sanayee Raad said on Wednesday.He noted that US President Donald Trump does not enjoy the capability to form a consensus and coalition for a war against Iran, and said, “If a war happens today, increased energy prices will inflict heavy expenses on the European states.”“The US has understood that there will be no ultimate victory in case it opens war against Iran and that it cannot guarantee avoiding it from becoming a war of attrition,” General Sanayee said.
Iran’s threats generally fall into two categories: incendiary vows to crush the United States (and usually Israel) in a regional conflict and more specific threats to shut down or terrorize shipping through the Straits of Hormuz. Although Gen. Raad apparently neglected to threaten Israel, he bridged the two categories of bluster by stressing how much economic damage Iran can inflict on the Western world in any conflict.
Raad’s pointed threat to “inflict heavy expenses on European states” was delivered on the same day his boss, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, publicly advised President Hassan Rouhani to stop waiting for Europe to rescue Iran from U.S. sanctions.
“There is no problem with negotiations and keeping contact with the Europeans, but you should give up hope on them over economic issues or the nuclear deal,” Khamenei toldRouhani.
“The nuclear deal is a means, not the goal, and if we come to this conclusion that it does not serve our national interests, we can abandon it,” the ayatollah added. READ MORE
