THE commander of Iran’s Revolution Guards, Brig-Gen Rahim-Safavi, has told Iranian TV that Tehran now possesses modern missile systems, and that Iran is ready to give its missile systems, including the Shahab series, to its allies.
Speaking in an interview with Al-Alam TV, Safavi said that the Iranian forces also have several thousand trained suicide attackers who are ready to deter any possible attack by the USA.
On the subject of Iran’s recent military exercises, code-named Great Prophet II, Safavi said these had been pre-planned and were not carried out in response to US military exercises in the region.
Safavi said Iran’s desire was that Arab countries around the Gulf should link up with each other and defend themselves, and he said that Tehran was ready to carry out joint military manoeuvres with these countries and transfer its ‘defensive and security experience’ to them.
Safavi said: ‘In the second phase of the Great Prophet exercises, we set two primary objectives and two secondary ones. The first primary objective is to show our national ability and will to carry out a comprehensive defence in the face of any threat to Iran.
‘The second primary objective is to enhance and test the IRGC’s deterrence capability and its effectiveness.
‘The first secondary objective is to test sophisticated and advanced weapons, as well as operational tactics involving distances of more than 1,400 km. The other secondary objective is to coordinate land, air and naval operations and the logistics forces in an area of 1,730 sq. km. covering 14 provinces in the country.’
He added: ‘This major exercise has nothing to do with the one conducted by the Americans. It is part of the IRG’s annual programme. We chose the timing of this exercise for specific reasons. I must say that the US exercise has no operational or military significance. Moreover, it was very weak and was only intended for propagandistic reasons. We were following the reports on this exercise. It was not well received and it did not succeed.’
Safavi continued: ‘The truth is that the way out of the current crisis in this region is the departure of the US and British occupation forces from the occupied territories of Iraq and Afghanistan and also from the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.
‘We have noticed that over 640,000 people were killed or injured in Iraq as a result of this crisis. Moreover, thousands were displaced from their homes and houses.
‘The truth is that the way to bring about security and stability in this region, which is what Iran is trying to achieve, is for the neighbouring countries to guarantee security.
‘The model we are proposing is for these countries, in the north and the south of the Persian Gulf, to establish close links with one another, and this would enable them to establish security and peace in this region. It would also guarantee development and achieve progress in this region without the need for the presence of foreigners to guarantee security in this region.
‘In the past 27 years, Islamic Iran has proved that its strategy does not include any ambitions towards the neighbouring countries. Iran has passed over the actions of even those who, during the eight-year-long Iraqi war imposed on Iran, helped Iraq with billions of dollars. It welcomed the strengthening of economic and political relations with them, and it has such relations with them now.’
He added: ‘We extend the hand of friendship to all our neighbouring Arab countries and we wish to hold joint manoeuvres with them to guarantee the security of the Persian Gulf region and the Sea of Oman and also to establish peace and stability in this region.
‘This depends on the desire of those countries and on their foreign policy. Those countries know full well that Iran, which has 2,000 km of coastline stretching from the Sea of Oman to the north of the Persian Gulf, a population of 70 million and an efficient military power, is capable of transferring its defensive and security experience to the neighbouring and friendly Arab countries.
‘For the sake of the defence of the neighbouring countries and the security of the region and the establishment of real security in this region, we are determined to do that, because the security of those countries is our security, and instability and crises in those countries, which are our neighbours, will affect Iranian security.
‘This is what has happened, because instability in Iraq has affected all the countries, including Iran.
‘Therefore, the security of the region is interdependent and the interests of the countries of the region are intertwined and they determine security from two angles – one positive and one negative.
‘For example, if the interests of those countries are endangered, the interests of all the other countries will be affected. Therefore, the security and the interests of this region must be secured through the countries of the region, and any security tension and any threat to the interests of those countries, including Iran’s interests, might have an adverse effect on the interests of other countries.’
Speaking about Iran’s military capability Safavi said: ‘The truth is that, thanks to Iran’s economic potential, we managed after the Iran-Iraq war to be in control of our armament industry and to enable this industry to produce all the weapons needed by our armed forces, including Shahab-3 missiles, which have a range of 2,000 km, and coast-to-sea missiles, which have a range of 300 km and which cover the entire Persian Gulf region, and also the ground-to-air anti-aircraft and anti-helicopter missiles which are shoulder-borne, in addition to the manufacture of all the heavy and light tanks and the other armoured vehicles, and also helicopters and various aircraft, various types of patrol boats, small and large submarines and various other pieces of sophisticated equipment.
‘The truth is that the Americans can pick up, through their satellites, pictures of these Shahab-3 missiles, and where they landed. They can see that for themselves and they understand what it means: namely, that we are capable of producing sophisticated weapons and that our manoeuvres and tests were defensive tests.
‘But they are not telling the truth. In the same way that our radar and computers are monitoring their manoeuvres, their spying equipment, including planes and satellites, can monitor our manoeuvres.
However, the truth is that Iran is a capable power and it has a defensive, deterrent and influential force in the Middle East.’
Safavi continued: ‘Under the current circumstances, the Americans are in big trouble, experiencing military crises in Iraq and Afghanistan.
‘More than 160,000 US soldiers have fallen into the Iraqi swamp and have no power to advance or withdraw – i.e. to run away from Iraq – because they have had a big political scandal and we do not, do not presume or anticipate, any military attack against our country. Naturally, we have our own defence and deterrence plans, similar to other countries.
Safavi added: ‘Actually, we do not count on defence technology alone. The revolutionary guards have several thousand suicidal persons, suicidal members, who have had eight years of military experience in the war.
‘These suicidal persons are ready to undertake suicidal operations on a high level. They are trained professionals and they have a powerful suicidal and offensive spirit.
‘This daring suicidal spirit, in addition to reason and knowledge, as well as our forces, serve the flag. We also have more than 10,000 mobilised and trained persons, forming a very significant deterrent power.
‘These persons are able, when the need arises, to defend all our territory, to defend our soil, using various forms of defence. As such, this suicidal spirit and this jihadi power exist among our forces.’
Safavi continued: ‘In my view, the biggest strategic mistake committed by the Americans is the military operations and the military occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan.
‘The Greater Middle East project has completely failed because of all these military expenses, which exceed 400bn dollars, in addition to sustaining 5,000 casualties in this region.
‘Despite all that, they were unable to achieve any political assets or to fulfil their demands through the establishment of a Greater Middle East. Therefore, the American project, in our view and even in the view of American politicians, has failed, because, after their military attack on Iraq, they had no plan for reconstruction, a system of governance or provision of security.
‘Now we see lack of water and electricity supply, as well as lack of security in Iraq. They were unable to establish the promised democracy in Iraq.
‘Therefore, in our opinion, the Americans have fallen into a swamp worse than Vietnam because the Vietnamese had no technology, whereas the Iraqi people are totally different.
‘The main objective of the Americans is to dominate the energy sources in the Middle East region, i.e. the oil and gas in this region. As you know, about two thirds of the world’s oil reserves are located in the Middle East, and 40 per cent of the world’s discovered gas reserves.
‘The Americans – through their military occupation of Iraq – want the Iraqi oil to replace the Saudi oil, in order to be in full control of the energy sources in Iraq, which are massive.
‘They also want to dominate the Persian Gulf and the Middle East region to back the Zionist entity and control the energy in the region, so they can keep an eye on China. Gas and oil are central to the world’s trade. As such, this is the main American objective.
‘Actually, the American military strategy has failed completely and they are obliged, after two years, to exit from the region and leave the security of this region in the hands of its countries and peoples.
‘Even the security of Iraq should be handed over to the Iraqi people and their elected government.
‘There is no way out, except for the American forces to leave this region.’