Imam Khamenei: If Not in Syria, We Should Have Fought Takfiris in Iran

Local Editor

Leader of the Islamic Revolution His Eminence Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei said Iran could have fought a war inside its borders if the enemy threats had not been thwarted in Syria.

"If the ill-wishers and seditionists, who are the puppets of the US and Zionism, had not been confronted [in Syria], we should have stood against them in Tehran, Fars, Khorasan and Esfahan," Imam Khamenei said in remarks published Thursday.

The Imam made the remarks this week during a meeting with the families of Iranian commandos killed in Syria, in which he paid tribute to the memory of those who lost their lives in the battle against Takfiri terrorists.

"Not only is the army, but also the entire nation proud of these martyrs," said the Imam, whose remarks were reported by several Iranian news agencies.

Earlier Thursday, a senior military commander said Iran's armed forces are capable of thwarting any US threats due to the Islamic Republic's achievements in enhancing the country's military might.

Brigadier General Hossein Salami, the second-in-command of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps [IRGC], touched on US strategies against Iran during the imposed Iran-Iraq war in 1980s.

"They [the US] sought to undermine us in the war, but we managed to build an immense missile and marine power and an endless ground force," he said in the Iranian city of Yazd, adding Iran has built up so much power that has made it "capable of overcoming the US."

"Today, no one talks about overthrowing the [Islamic] establishment and military invasion of Iran, because the more the enemy fought with this nation, the stronger the Iranian nation became," he added.

Salami pointed to Iran's awareness of the extent of Washington's real power. "We know that the capacity of the US, Europe and their regional allies for the dominance over the Muslim world is diminishing."

The commander said US efforts to undermine Iran's influence in the region have prompted the Islamic Republic to promote its weight in different parts of the Muslim world, including in Syria, Lebanon and Palestine.

"Today, we see how the flames of resistance are burning bright in Syria and the US, which could defeat any power whenever it decided to," Salami said.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team