Eurasia Press & News
TEHRAN (FNA) – Iran’s top military commander said his forces will retaliate against American military bases in the Persian Gulf if they are involved in any possible future attack on Iran.
Commander of the Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari told Al-Jazeera television on Saturday that it was Iran’s “natural right to respond” if attacked by land or air, AP reported.
But he assured Arab Persian Gulf countries – some of whom are home to US military bases – that only American forces would come under counterattack.
“We realize that there is worry among neighboring countries – Muslim countries whose lands host US military stations,” Jafari said. He spoke in Farsi, which the network dubbed over in Arabic.
“However, if the US launches a war against us, and if it uses these stations to attack Iran with missiles, then through the strength and precision of our own missiles, we are capable of targeting only the US military forces who attack us,” he told the station.
Many of the Persian Gulf’s Arab states are nervous about the impact of any military confrontation.
The US military has several bases in Arab countries including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Yemen. Many Persian Gulf Arabs have expressed concern that those bases make them vulnerable to attack.
On a recent visit to the Persian Gulf countries, US President George W Bush branded Iran the leading state sponsor of terror, and said “all options” against Tehran remain on the table.
Bush, who finished a tour of the Middle East earlier this month called on his Arab allies to unite against Iran.
But hosting officials of the regional nations dismissed Bush’s allegations, describing Tehran as a good friend of their countries.
Bush’s attempt to rally international pressure against Iran failed after different reports, including those by the International Atomic Energy Agency and the US National Intelligence Estimate, on Iran’s nuclear drives discredited his claims and accusations against the Islamic Republic.
Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar also stressed on Thursday that Tehran would not allow any trans-regional power to endanger security of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.
Addressing a gathering of the law enforcement and army commanders in the southern port city of Bushehr, the minister pointed to the United States’ efforts to portray Iran as a threat to regional peace and security, and said, “The powerful armed forces of Iran do not pose a threat to any force at the regional level.
“But in case they confront any kind of threat, they will provide a strong and crushing response.”
“The Islamic Republic of Iran will not allow any trans-regional force to imperil security of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz,” the General reiterated.
He also underlined preparedness of Iranian armed forces to defend the country against any possible threat, mentioning that religious spirituality and high preparedness level of Iranian military troops serve as a strong and solid dam against aggressors.
