Continuing its response to Donald Trump’s aggressive UN speech, Iran’s officials and military commanders put out a series of defiant statements on Saturday.
The deputy commander of the Iranian Army, Brig. Gen. Ahmad Reza Pourdastan (pictured), said the Islamic Republic’s forces are fully prepared to make enemies regret any “wrong move”: “We are monitoring threats and boosting the defense capabilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Army accordingly.”
A day after Iran test-launched a new ballistic missile, Pourdastan said the military has successfully carried out different exercises and tactics and is in “complete command of the situation”.
Iran’s Defense Minister, Brig. Gen. Amir Hatami, added:
As long as the rhetoric of some is one of threat, Iran’s reinforcement of its defense power will continue. Iran will not seek permission from any country to produce different missiles, and land, naval, and aerial defense weapons.
On Tuesday at the UN General Assembly, Trump denounced the July 2015 nuclear deal with Iran as an “embarrassment” — although he stopped short of announcing an American withdrawal — and implied that the “corrupt dictatorship” will be overthrown.
See Despite Trump’s Bluster, US is Not Leaving Iran Nuclear Deal
President Hassan Rouhani responded with a UN speech emphasizing “moderation” but remaining firm on the ballistic missile tests, and the Supreme Leader said, “The US Elite should be ashamed of their President.”
Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani aimed on Saturday at “the most ridiculous talk” by Trump. He countered Trump’s accusation that Iran is supporting “terrorists” throughout the Middle East:
Are you blind and can you not see that it is only Iran that is standing against Daesh [Islamic State] in Iraq and Syria? How can Iran be supporting Daesh and terrorists on the one hand and be standing against them on the other? Does that make sense?