Speaking in Qom on Saturday, Hojjatoleslam Hossein Taeb outlined the US strategy for continuing the confrontation with Iran, saying the enemy had initially believed that targeting the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and senior commanders, as well as military and resistance infrastructure, would lead to the collapse of the Islamic Republic.
He said the enemy had failed to understand that the movement built on faith and strengthened by the blood of Iran’s martyred Leader would not disappear through such attacks, but would instead survive and expand.
Taeb said the enemy launched an intense campaign against Iran, bringing up to 200 aircraft a day for bombing operations and testing new weapons and bombs, while also deploying B-1 and B-52 bombers and launching missiles from the sea.
However, he said the enemy eventually sought a ceasefire after realizing that the Iranian people had stood their ground and continued to resist.
“We did not ask for a ceasefire; they moved toward a ceasefire,” Taeb said, describing the subsequent negotiations that resulted in a memorandum of understanding. He added that the other side failed to honor the document even for 60 days and violated its commitments.
He said the enemy subsequently turned to a naval blockade, believing that it could weaken the Iranian people, exploit internal differences and create divisions in order to restore its damaged standing.
Taeb cited US polling as showing that 71% of Americans believe US President Donald Trump made a mistake by waging a war against Iran.
He said Washington’s current efforts are focused on pushing the war into the background, generating social discontent, linking social issues to security matters and creating internal distractions in Iran.
The Basij commander also said the US is seeking to create instability in the region, drive a wedge between Iran and its neighbors and establish regional alliances that would place countries in the region and beyond against the Islamic Republic.
He argued that Washington is attempting to activate regional alliances against Iran instead of maintaining a direct US role in the war.
Taeb said the US has failed to create a rift between Iran and regional countries, adding that Washington has now recognized its “miscalculation” and failed in its effort to unite the region against Iran.
He said Iran’s relations with neighboring countries before the war has involved both cooperation and confrontation, and that this pattern continues after the war, although the circumstances have changed.
Turning to Europe, Taeb said European countries are still outwardly cooperating with the United States out of fear, but that the reality is different. He argued that European governments have realized they have been humiliated by Washington and pointed to the US national security strategy as evidence of how much Europe’s position has weakened.
“The global map of power is changing,” Taeb said, arguing that the US is no longer the center of the world and the Zionist regime is no longer the center of the region. He maintained that both are currently facing “one of their weakest conditions.”
Taeb also cited economic problems in the US and the Israeli regime as among the factors pushing the “front of arrogance” toward weakness and decline.