IRAN MARKING SACRED DEFENSE WEEK
Commanders Declare Security a ‘Red Line’, Vow Broader Retaliation
TEHRAN — Senior Iranian military commanders said on Tuesday that Iran’s security is a “red line” and warned that any renewed aggression would draw a forceful response, as they invoked the experience of the Iran-Iraq war and recent fighting to underline the country’s readiness to confront new threats.
The commanders, speaking in separate messages marking Iran’s annual Sacred Defense Week, said the eight-year Iran-Iraq
war remains a model of resistance, sacrifice and the preservation of national independence, and that its lessons remain relevant to the threats facing Iran today.
“The security of this land is a red line, and every aggressor will face a forceful, decisive and appropriate response,” Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani said in a message marking the anniversary.
Irani said Iran’s armed forces will maintain their readiness to defend the country’s land, sea and air borders and its national interests.
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has warned the United States against launching a new attack on Iran, saying Washington would gain “nothing but failure” from any such action.
IRGC spokesman Brigadier General Hussein Mohebbi said on Tuesday that Washington has already experienced defeat in previous rounds of aggression.
“In this particular case, if the U.S. wants to attack anywhere in Iran, not only Mount Kolang and not only the location it has threatened, we will stand against the American attack with full readiness.”
Mount Kolang is a fortified facility in the central province of Isfahan, where the U.S. claims Iran keeps its highly enriched uranium stockpile.
Mohebbi dismissed U.S. threats to attack the nuclear facilities, saying U.S. President Donald Trump has a habit of constantly making hollow threats.
“Trump forgets that he has already made threats before but was unable to carry them out, and now he is once again making new threats,” said the IRGC spokesman.
Mohebbi said U.S. government officials better think twice before issuing threats against Iran, adding that they will regret launching any new attack against the country because Iran’s response will be decisive.
The comments were a clear reference to the U.S. failure to achieve any results from a 40-day joint aggression with the Israeli regime against Iran, which began in late February and ended temporarily in a ceasefire in mid-April.
The aggression saw Iran responding extensively to U.S. attacks on its military and civilian infrastructure, with U.S. military assets in West Asia being targeted repeatedly over the past months.
Trump and other officials in the U.S. government have hinted in their recent statements that Washington might launch attacks on Mount Kolang in an alleged attempt to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
Iran has repeatedly dismissed claims it is pursuing nuclear weapons while insisting that its nuclear program is purely for peaceful purposes.
The statements came amid heightened tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically important waterway through which a large share of global oil shipments normally passes.
In separate remarks in Karaj, Brigadier General Muhammad-Taghi Shahcheraghi, deputy for inspection and commanders’ excellence at the IRGC, questioned claims about the ability of Iran’s adversaries to take control of the waterway.
“If the enemy has the capabilities it claims, why has it so far been unable to open the Strait of Hormuz?” Shahcheraghi said.
He said Iranian forces continue to operate day and night in the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, describing the confrontation as an ongoing war in which Iranian forces inflict losses on their terrorist adversaries.
“Our capabilities and resources are not limited to equipment,” Shahcheraghi said. “Our strength also depends on the extent of our reliance on God.”
Iran’s Army spokesman Brigadier General Muhammad Akraminia also linked the country’s current military posture to the Iran-Iraq war, saying the experience has taught Iran lessons of resistance, unity and preparedness.
“The enemy must know that we are completely ready to defend the country and the Iranian people,” Akraminia said. He warned that any renewed attack would receive a stronger response.
“If aggression is repeated, they will receive a more forceful and broader response with new equipment and tactics,” he said, adding that Iran’s adversaries would experience defeat and failure and eventually leave the region.