First Bullet on Iran Means Israel’s Destruction by Hezbollah

(FNA)- Senior Military Aide to the Iranian Supreme Leader Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi warned the US and the Zionist officials against any military action on the country, saying such a mistake will amount to the destruction of Israel by the Iranian and the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement forces.

“The Iranian nation and Armed Forces are ready for an all-out defense and protection of the country with all their power and they will respond to any aggression with reciprocal and inconceivable strikes,” Safavi said in the Northwestern province of Zanjan on Tuesday, addressing a large number of Iranian people participating in the annual rallies to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution.

He downplayed the US and Israeli officials’ war rhetoric against Iran, and warned, “The start of war against Iran means the destruction of the Zionist regime by Hezbollah forces of Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah.”

In relevant remarks on Sunday, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan underlined that the Iranian Armed Forces will give an inconceivable response to any possible enemy aggression, adding that the threatening remarks of the US officials cannot prevent the country from continuing its nuclear fuel production.

“The Iranian Armed Forces are an intertwined and coherent complex which can give a decisive response to any threat at any level and any place under the command of the Commander-in-Chief (Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei),” Dehqan said in Tehran on Sunday, addressing the defense ministry personnel on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution.

Blasting the recent military threats of a number of the US officials against Iran, he said, “The enemy can never assess and think of the range of the response given by the powerful and mighty Armed Forces of the Islamic Iran.”

Dehqan said that the enemies threaten Iran militarily to prevent the country’s progress in using nuclear technology, but they should know that “Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution (Ayatollah Khamenei) and the brave and resistance nation of the Islamic Iran will never allow the country's nuclear fuel production cycle come to a halt”.

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei also in crucial remarks on Saturday dismissed compromise with the US, saying Washington is pursuing a hypocritical approach towards Iran and has aimed at the nation’s independence.

“The propaganda apparatus of the hegemonic powers and their internal elements are attempting to pretend that reliance on national interests and identity doesn’t conform with progress and if a country wants to make progress, it should, thus, reduce its desire for independence,” Ayatollah Khamenei said, addressing a large number of Air Force commanders and personnel in Tehran.

Ayatollah Khamenei underlined that independence doesn’t mean treating others with bad temper or sulking, and said, “Independence is a dam against the influence of those countries which intend to overshadow nations’ interests for the sake of their own interests.”

“The tactics and methods can be changed, but principles and basics should remain strong and this is the secret of Iran’s strength and progress,” he added.

He also blasted the US officials for their military threats against Iran despite international efforts and talks to settle the dispute between Tehran and the West over the country’s nuclear program, and said, “The Iranian nation should pay attention to the recent negotiations and the rude remarks of the Americans so that everyone gets to know the enemy well.”

“The Americans speak in their private meetings with our officials in one way, and they speak differently outside these meetings; this is hypocrisy and the bad and evil will of the enemy and the nation should observe all these cases precisely,” Ayatollah Khamenei stressed.

On November 24, Iran and the world powers, including the US, sealed a six-month Joint Plan of Action to lay the groundwork for the full resolution of the West’s decade-old dispute with Iran over its nuclear energy program. In exchange for Tehran’s confidence-building bid to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities, the Sextet of world powers agreed to lift some of the existing sanctions against Tehran and continue talks with the country to settle all problems between the two sides.

After Iran and the world powers struck a deal in November, the US Treasury Department imposed fresh sanctions against companies and individuals for their business links with Iran.

The US Treasury Department said on Thursday that the targeted entities operated in Turkey, Spain, Germany, Georgia, Afghanistan, Iran, Liechtenstein and the United Arab Emirates.

Also, Washington officials have been making increasing provocative remarks against Iran and the deal since November. US Secretary of State John Kerry said in an interview in Geneva in January that the military option was still on the table if Iran did not live up to its nuclear commitments under the Geneva deal.

In response, a large number of Iranian officials have warned of the dire repercussions of such remarks by Washington officials. Lieutenant Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Brigadier General Hossein Salami warned that the slightest military move by the US will be reciprocated by Iran's harshest response, underlining that Iran's reaction would "recognize no boundary".