IRGC hints it could carry out attacks abroad to defend Iran’s ‘vital interests’

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards are not tied to “a specific geographical area” in defending the “vital interests” of the Islamic Republic, its commander says, in an apparent retort to Washington.

Guards commander Major General Hossein Salami, quoted on the official Guards website, Sepahnews, speaks after The New York Times on Monday said that Donald Trump had recently asked top aides about the possibility of striking Iran’s nuclear facilities.

But senior US officials dissuaded Trump “from moving ahead with a military strike,” warning that such an attack could escalate into a broader conflict in the last weeks of his presidency, the Times wrote.

Salami notes Iran’s position in the energy-rich Gulf, calling it a “strategic region for the world economy” in which Iran has “a privileged and unique role in ensuring the safety of the maritime expanse.”

Salami speaks at the inauguration of a new warship equipped with “missile systems,” a helipad and capabilities to launch drones from, as well as to transport speedboats, Sepahnews says.

“We are not limited to a specific geographic area to defend our security and our vital interests,” Salami says.

“If some want to threaten the interests of this great nation and country, they will certainly not be safe anywhere on Earth,” he adds.

He insists Iran would not make the first move of aggression towards another country, but says that our “defense strategy is always accompanied by offensive tactics.”

— AFP