By Staff, Agencies

The chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards [IRG] Major General Hossein Salami has warned that while the Islamic Republic will never seek to initiate a war, it remains determined to deliver a resolute response to any threats or acts of aggression by the enemies.

Salami made the statement on Sunday after Washington accused Tehran of assisting Yemen’s military forces in their recent anti-"Israeli" operations and called for a halt on Iran’s alleged support for the Ansarullah resistance movement.

“Iran will never be the initiator of war, but in the event of a threat, the response will be firm, decisive and conclusive,” Salami said.

“The president of the United States has once again attributed the operations carried out by the Yemen’s Ansarullah to Iran and has warned the Iranian people to stop their support for the resistance group.”

Stressing that the Yemenis are an independent and free nation in their land and pursue independent policies, the IRG chief said, “Iran openly and clearly accepts responsibility for any actions it takes, when and where they occur.”

Salami underlined that, “We are not a nation that operates under the cloak of secrecy; rather, we are a legitimate and globally recognized entity. When we undertake any military action or lend our support, we will declare it openly and unequivocally.”

In a ceremony commemorating the sacrifices of the martyrs of East Azerbaijan Province in its capital city of Tabriz on Saturday evening, the IRG’s chief commander also warned that the Islamic Republic would give a “devastating” response to any threats.

Salami emphasized that the Iranian nation is fully determined to defend its interests, values, identity, and legitimacy.

“We will stand firmly against any threat, and if any threat is carried out, we will respond in the most severe manner— a decisive, crushing, and destructive response,” he stated.

“The enemy is repeating its past mistakes and fails to learn from the lessons of Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, and Afghanistan. It continues on the same erroneous path, which will ultimately lead to its defeat,” he added.

Salami highlighted that the enemy “deceitfully” speaks of direct negotiations while simultaneously issuing threats.

“This clearly shows that they do not truly understand the Iranian nation, while the Iranian nation, in turn, deeply recognizes its enemy and will never be deceived by their superficial words,” he noted.

Salami further asserted that it was the United States that tore up the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA] agreement and turned toward aggressive and violent measures such as pressure, sanctions, and threats.

Highlighting the importance of learning from past experiences, he said, “if we do not learn from bitter experiences, we will be forced to repeat them.”