PHOTO: Guards commander Mohammad Ali Jafari

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have dismissed the rhetoric and actions of the Trump Administration, declaring them “useless”.

The Guards commander, Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, said on Wednesday:

US officials know that threats against Iran are not only useless, but also harmful….The greatest achievement of the Islamic Revolution is [American] confession of the splendor and greatness of the Revolution.

Jafari’s remarks follow Tuesday’s declaration by the Supreme Leader that Iran should be “thankful” to Trump for demonstrating the “political, economic, ethical, and social corruption” of the US via his “words and deeds during the election campaign and in recent days”.

See Iran Daily, Feb 8: Supreme Leader — Trump Reveals Depth of US Corruption

The Trump Administration said last week that “Iran is officially on notice” over its ballistic missile tests and support of groups such as Yemen’s Houthi insurgency. It is not considering withdrawal from the July 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and the 5+1 Powers; however, the US Treasury has imposed sanctions on more Iranian individuals and entities for links to the missile program and to the Quds Forces of the Revolutionary Guards.

On Tuesday, the Administration indicated that the sanctions could be to the Revolutionary Guards itself.

The Guards deputy commander, Brigadier General Hossein Salami, shrugged off the latest steps by Washington:

America’s power is declining as a result of its wrong and interventionist policies. Its threats have continued, though, and its economic war against Iran will not end. As [America’s] political and geopolitical power has declined, its breathing space – especially at strategic points in the Muslim world — has tightened.

Esmail Kowsari, a leading Guards officer and former MP, insisted, “Based on their consultations with their advisers, American presidents utter slogans but do not have the ability to attack Iran militarily… If Americans had the ability to attack Iran militarily, they would not delay a moment to do so.”

(h/t to Iran Tracker for translations)