London —Besides to Iran’s Guards’ commander Mohammad Ali Jafari earlier warning the United States against designating its Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group, saying US regional military bases would be at risk if further sanctions were passed, State Department spokesman Bahram Qasimi said that Tehran’s response will be firm.
Warnings came after the White House said on Friday that President Donald Trump would announce new US responses to Iran’s missile tests, support for “terrorism” and cyber operations as part of his new Iran strategy.
“As we’ve announced in the past, if America’s new law for sanctions is passed, this country will have to move their regional bases outside the 2,000 km range of Iran’s missiles,” Guards’ Jafari said, according to state media.
“If they do, Iran’s response will be firm, decisive and overwhelming,” State Department spokesman Bahram Qasimi was quoted as saying by a news conference.
Jafari also said that additional sanctions would end the chances for future dialogue with the US, and issued a stark warning to American troops.
“If the news is correct about the stupidity of the American government in considering the Revolutionary Guards a terrorist group, then the Revolutionary Guards will consider the American army to be like ISIS all around the world particularly in the Middle East,” Jafari said.
The Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) are Iran’s most powerful internal and external security force. The Quds Force, the IRGC’s foreign espionage and paramilitary wing, and individuals and entities associated with the IRGC are on the US list of foreign terrorist organizations, but the organization as a whole is not.
“The Americans should know that the Trump government’s stupid behavior with the nuclear deal will be used by the Islamic Republic as an opportunity to move ahead with its missile, regional and conventional defense program,” Jafari said, according to state media.
Trump had accused Iran of financially supporting North Korea, which develops its nuclear missiles, saying that it violates the provisions of the nuclear deal.
“I believe they [Iranians] are funding North Korea. I believe they’re trading with North Korea. I believe they’re doing things with North Korea that are totally inappropriate,” Trump said in an interview with American politician and commentator Mike Huckabee for TBN.
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