Parliament Designates U.S. Troops as Terrorists

IRGC to ‘Set Ablaze’ Places Supported by U.S.

Date: 07 January 2020 - 22:36

News ID: ۷۴۸۳۸

TEHRAN (Dispatches) -- The commander of the Islamic Revolutions Guards Corps (IRGC) pledged on Tuesday to "set ablaze’’ places supported by the United States over the U.S. assassination of a top Iranian general last week, sparking cries from the crowd of supporters of "Death to Israel!’’
Gen. Hussein Salami made the pledge before a crowd of millions gathered in a central square in Kerman, the hometown of Gen. Qassem Soleimani who was martyred in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad. His vow mirrored the demands of top Iranian officials _ from Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei to others _ as well as supporters across the Islamic Republic, demanding retaliation against America for a terrorist act that’s drastically raised tensions across the Middle East.
Gen. Salami praised General Soleimani’s exploits, describing him as essential to backing Palestinian groups, Yemen’s Houthi fighters and popular forces in Iraq and Syria. As a martyr, Gen. Soleimani represented an even greater threat to Iran’s enemies, Salami said.
"We will take revenge. We will set ablaze where they like,’’ Salami said, drawing the cries of "Death to Israel!’’
Secretary of Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkahni said Iran has worked up 13 sets of plans for revenge for Gen. Soleimani’s assassination. He said even the weakest among them would be a "historic nightmare’’ for the U.S.
"If the U.S. troops do not leave our region voluntarily and upright, we will do something to carry their bodies horizontally out,” Shamkhani said.
Iran’s parliament, meanwhile, passed an urgent bill declaring the U.S. military’s command at the Pentagon and those acting on its behalf in Gen. Soleimani’s assassination as "terrorists,” subject to Iranian sanctions.
The decision by Iran’s parliament, done by a special procedure to speed the bill to law, comes as officials across the country pledge to retaliate for Gen. Soleimani’s assassination.
"Any aid to these forces, including military, intelligence, financial, technical, service or logistical, will be considered as co-operation in a terrorist act,” the Iranian parliament said.
The vote also saw lawmakers approve funding for the Quds Force with an additional 200 million euros, or about $224 million.
Shamkhani said U.S. bases across Iraq are being kept under close surveillance, adding Iran knows the exact number of personnel and equipment being kept at each.
"We insist that all troops be withdrawn,” he said, according to Iranian newspaper Resalat. "If the troops want to dig into the bases, we will destroy the bases in addition to the troops.
"Those who crawl into shelters and close the doors hoping to escape our revenge are unaware that the Islamic Republic will open the door to hell.”
Iran has vowed to exact a "crushing revenge” over the assassination of Gen. Soleimani.
The country has already ripped up what remained of the nuclear deal signed under former U.S. President Barack Obama in the wake of the strike, and Iraq has voted to kick all U.S. troops out.
Rockets have also been launched at the Green Zone surrounding the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, with the area expected to come under increasing attacks.
Some 5,000 U.S. troops are stationed across Iraq and 500 still remain in Syria.
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the Lebanese secretary-general of Hezbollah, said all US bases, all warships and every single soldier in the region is now a target.
"The true, just retribution for those who conducted this assassination is an institution, which is the U.S. military,” he said during a ceremony on Gen. Soleimani in Beirut on Sunday. "We will launch a battle against those killers, those criminals.”
U.S. intelligence believes that Iran will try to kill one of its top generals in the region in a tit-for-tat slaying, the Daily Mail reported. One official said the U.S. anticipates a "major” attack of some type within the next day or two, it added.