A Revolutionary Guards Commander has threatened the U.S. military, warning that if the U.S. classifies Iran’s Guards as terrorists and introduces fresh sanctions, it would regard the move as a U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal, making future engagement between the two countries impossible.
“The Guards will consider the American military all over the world, especially the Middle East, as equal to ISIS [the so-called Islamic State],” said General Mohammad Ali Jafari, the chief commander of the Revolutionary Guards in a speech on Sunday.
Currently, the Guards are actively fighting against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. These words by Gen. Jafari, even if they are interpreted as merely a bluff or bravado, could potentially lead to heightened tensions between the two countries.
A report by Sepah News, the Guards’ official website, emphasized that Jafari was talking to the Guard’s Strategic Council, and confirmed that the general was not expressing his personal view, but representing the view of the Guards.
