Iran ready to 'slap America in the face'

(Baonghean.vn) - The United States should expect a "slap in the face" if it underestimates Iran's defense capabilities, a commander in the Revolutionary Guards said on February 22.

Mohammad Pakpour - head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards' ground forces attends a funeral in Tehran in 2009. Photo: Reuters.

Since taking office last month, US President Donald Trump has pledged to get tough on Iran, warning the Islamic Republic after a ballistic missile test on January 29 that it was playing with fire and that the US was on the table in response.

“The enemy should not make mistakes in their assessment, and if they do, they will receive a slap in the face,” the Sepahnews website of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards quoted General Mohammad Pakpour, the force’s infantry commander, as saying.

On February 22, the Revolutionary Guards concluded three days of exercises with missiles, artillery, tanks and helicopters, weeks after Trump warned that he had his “eyes on Tehran” following the missile launch.

“The message of these exercises is that the arrogant people of the world will not do anything stupid. Everyone can see the power we have on the ground,” Pakpour was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency.

The Revolutionary Guards said they had test-fired “advanced missiles” and used drones during three days of military exercises in central and eastern Iran.

Amid rising tensions with Israel, a military analyst at Tasnim news agency said Iran's ally Hezbollah could use Iranian-made Fateh 110 missiles to attack Israel's nuclear reactor at Dimona from Lebanese territory.

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said last Thursday that the group, which has played a key role in ending Israel's occupation of Lebanon, could launch air strikes on Dimona.

Iran insists its missile program is defensive and unrelated to its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. During the US election campaign, Trump branded the accord “the worst deal ever negotiated,” telling voters he would tear it up or seek a better deal.

Thu Giang

(According to Reuters)