TEHRAN, Jun 29 - Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Ali Abdollahi highlighted the country’s military preparedness to counter foreign threats, saying that the Islamic Republic will never allow any country to infiltrate into its territory.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - Iran has never started a war against any other nation, Brigadier General Abdollahi said in a speech in the northern province of Gilan on Friday.
However, the Islamic Republic will allow no country to infiltrate into its territory, he said, adding that the global arrogance (the US) should be aware that Iran will never relinquish its rights to defend its territory and will use all its power to that end.
The top general further pointed to a recent move by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) to shoot down a US spy drone over Iran’s territorial waters and said after the incident, the Americans have become desperate and made contradictory remarks.
The IRGC said on June 20 that a US spy drone that violated the Iranian territorial airspace in the early hours of the day was shot down by the IRGC Aerospace Force’s air defense unit near the Kooh-e-Mobarak region in the southern province of Hormozgan.
The intruding drone was reportedly shot by Iran’s homegrown air defense missile system “Khordad-3rd”.
Later on the same day, US President Donald Trump said he had called off a retaliatory attack on a number of targets in Iran and said that he was ready to speak with Iranian leaders and come to an understanding that would allow the country to improve its economic prospects. “What I’d like to see with Iran, I’d like to see them call me.”
“I look forward to the day where we can actually help Iran. We're not looking to hurt Iran,” Trump added.
However, on Monday Trump announced new sanctions against top Iranian officials, including the office of Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran’s foreign minister, and senior commanders of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps.
Source: Tasnim