Iran

[angelburst29]

John Bolton has never made a secret of his burning desire to stoke a war between the United States and Iran. But Bolton is not the only one on Donald Trump’s national security team who dreams of such a military confrontation. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has joined with Bolton in recent months to prepare a case for possible war with Iran.

March 1, 2019 - The Right May Finally Get Its War on Iran
The Right May Finally Get Its War on Iran

The Trump White House has taken advantage of Trump’s diplomacy with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to sell the idea that he’s willing to negotiate a new relationship with Iran. In July, Trump said of the Iranians, “[A]t some point, they’re going to say ‘let’s make a deal.’ ”

But the demands on Iran that accompany the administration’s pressure campaign belie the notion that its objective is to reach a new agreement. The key demands outlined by Pompeo on May 21, 2018, are clearly based on the policy agenda of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It’s an agenda for regime change and war, not a new deal with Iran.

At the top of Pompeo’s list are demands that Iran end its support for Hezbollah, including its supply of ballistic missiles to the Lebanese Shiite organization, and the “halt [to] further launching or development of nuclear-capable missile systems.”

Those demands reflect an extraordinary agreement in December 2017, reported in the Israeli press, between the Trump administration and the Netanyahu government on a joint strategic work plan that included precisely those points on Pompeo’s list—countering Iranian ballistic missile development, as well as the supply of more accurate missiles to Hezbollah through Syria.
(Article continues - gives an excellent over-view of current events and how Pompeo and Bolton are following the dictates of Israel.)

 

[angelburst29]

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was not informed about Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s trip to Tehran last week and that was a reason why he submitted his resignation, the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA) reported on Tuesday.

Iran foreign minister not informed about Assad trip to Tehran: spokesman


The news agency cited foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi as the source of the information in its report.

“The ministry of foreign affairs did not have information at any level (about the trip) and this lack of information was maintained until the end of the trip,” Qassemi said, according to ISNA.

One of the reasons for the resignation of Dr. Zarif was this type of lack of coordination with the ministry of foreign affairs. And as it has been announced before, the resignation of the honorable minister was not a private and individual issue and the goal and intent of that was a positive effort to return the ministry of foreign affairs and the diplomatic system of the country to its main place.”

Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, the branch of the elite Revolutionary Guards responsible for operations outside Iran’s borders, was present at a meeting last week between Assad and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the highest authority in the Islamic Republic.

Soleimani said last week that Zarif was the main person in charge of foreign policy and he was supported by Khamenei.


Revolutionary Guards commander flexes political muscle

Qassem Soleimani's role in a political crisis in Iran highlights the influence of the leader of the Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, who has acquired celebrity status at home after being largely invisible for years.

Soleimani’s Quds Force, tasked with carrying out operations beyond Iran’s borders, shored up support for Assad when he looked close to defeat in the civil war raging since 2011 and also helped militiamen defeat Islamic State in Iraq.

Its successes have made Soleimani instrumental to the steady spreading of Iranian influence in the Middle East, which the United States and Tehran’s regional foes Saudi Arabia and Israel have struggled to keep in check.

Khamenei made Soleimani head of the Quds Force in 1998, a position in which he kept a low profile for years while he strengthened Iran’s ties with Hezbollah in Lebanon, Assad’s government, and Shi’ite militia groups in Iraq.

After Zarif tendered his resignation, Soleimani issued a rare statement. There had been a “bureaucratic” mistake rather than any intention to exclude Zarif, it said, describing the minister as the main person in charge of foreign policy and backed by Khamenei.

The row is an unusually public display of tension between the Guards, who play a key role in politics in the Islamic Republic, and moderate government officials who favor reconciliation with the West 40 years after Iran’s 1979 revolution ousted the U.S.-backed Shah.

A regional official with knowledge of Iranian affairs said the foreign ministry and the Quds Force had conflicts of opinion over Syria. The release on Monday of a closed-door speech last year by Khamenei highlighted another ongoing split - over Iran’s agreement with world powers to curb its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief.

The speech voiced doubt about the government’s overtures to Europe to try to shore up the deal after U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out.

A major-general, Soleimani is also in charge of intelligence gathering and covert military operations carried out by the Quds Force and last summer he publicly challenged Trump.

Soleimani played such a pivotal role in Iraq’s security through various militia groups that General David Petraeus, the overall head of U.S. forces in Iraq, sent messages to him through Iraqi officials, according to diplomatic cables published by Wikileaks.

He was arguably even more influential in Syria. His visit to Moscow in the summer of 2015 was the first step in planning for a Russian military intervention that reshaped the Syrian war and forged a new Iranian-Russian alliance in support of Assad.


Iran's Khamenei doubted Europe could help Tehran against U.S. sanctions

A closed-door speech last year by Iran's Supreme Leader voicing doubt about the Iranian government's diplomatic overtures to Europe was released on Monday in a sign of feuding over foreign policy that led to a short-lived resignation by the foreign minister.

 

[Oxajil]

After Zarif tendered his resignation, Soleimani issued a rare statement. There had been a “bureaucratic” mistake rather than any intention to exclude Zarif, it said, describing the minister as the main person in charge of foreign policy and backed by Khamenei.

That's a pretty big mistake then...

A regional official with knowledge of Iranian affairs said the foreign ministry and the Quds Force had conflicts of opinion over Syria. The release on Monday of a closed-door speech last year by Khamenei highlighted another ongoing split - over Iran’s agreement with world powers to curb its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief.

The speech voiced doubt about the government’s overtures to Europe to try to shore up the deal after U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out.

I can understand the doubt, but perhaps it's good that they're looking to Europe, as I do think some European countries would be willing to cooperate (though, whether they can be trusted may be questionable).

This is what Pepe Escobar wrote about this topic:

Sources in Tehran maintained that the key reason for Zarif resigning was that he was not informed - and did not attend - an ultra high-level meeting in Tehran on Monday of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, the IRGC's Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani and President Hassan Rouhani when they discussed strictly Syrian military matters, not diplomacy. Zarif may not have been in the room, but his number two, Abbas Araghchi, was.

In the end, Rouhani rejected Zarif's resignation, stressing that it was against Iran's national interests. And crucially, Soleimani said that Zarif had total support from Khamenei. Even as various factions of Iran's hardliners may be fuming with both Zarif and Rouhani, characterizing them as fools who fell into an American trap, the last thing Tehran needs at the moment - under pressure by hybrid war - is internal division. In parallel, support from both Russia and China won't waiver.

He was arguably even more influential in Syria. His visit to Moscow in the summer of 2015 was the first step in planning for a Russian military intervention that reshaped the Syrian war and forged a new Iranian-Russian alliance in support of Assad.

I didn't know that, that's pretty cool!

 

[angelburst29]

General Soleimani Awarded Highest Military Order of Iran
Farsnews

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei awarded the highest military order of Iran, Zolfaqar, to Commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Qassem Soleimani. [PHOTOS]

 

[angelburst29]

At least four people were killed and five others injured on Thursday in a gas pipeline explosion in southwest Iran, the Iranian Students News Agency ISNA reported.

At least four killed in Iran gas pipeline explosion: ISNA March 14, 2019

“Gas leakage from a pipeline that linked the gas network from Mahshahr city to Ahvaz city, caused the blast,” ISNA quoted local official Kiamars Hajizadeh as saying.

“At least four people, including one child and a woman, were killed in the blast and five people were wounded.”

Iran’s state TV reported that five cars in the area had caught fire. “Fire fighters and ambulances have been dispatched to the area,” state TV reported.

Poor safety measures and Iran’s aging infrastructures have been blamed by some authorities for blasts in the past.

Israel suspects Iran of hacking election frontrunner Gantz's phone: TV

Israel's Shin Bet security service suspects Iran of hacking the mobile phone of Benny Gantz, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's toughest rival in the April 9 election, an Israeli television station reported on Thursday.

 

[angelburst29]

The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on 14 people and 17 entities connected to an Iranian research organization it said had played a central role in the country's past nuclear weapons effort and which remains active.

U.S. sanctions Iran's nuclear research unit, urges Tehran to negotiate

Among those designated for sanctions was the Shahid Karimi group, which works on missile and explosive-related projects for Iran’s Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research, and four associated individuals, the U.S. Treasury Department said in a Statement.

The United States charges that the organization, known by its Farsi acronym SPND, oversees nuclear-relevant research for Iran and is active in the training of new scientists. It sanctioned SPND’s head, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, in 2008.

The announcement coincided with a visit on Friday by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Beirut, where he will focus on Lebanon’s ties to the heavily armed, Iran-backed Hezbollah.

U.S. pressure on Hezbollah, Iran is working, Pompeo says in Beirut

U.S. sanctions on Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah are working, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday on a visit to Beirut, calling on Lebanon to stand up to the Shi'ite group which he accused of "criminality, terror and threats".

Hezbollah sanctions harming Lebanon, says President Aoun

U.S. sanctions on Hezbollah are harming Lebanon as a whole, President Michel Aoun said on Thursday ahead of a visit to the country by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Lebanon's Aoun tells Pompeo Hezbollah has popular support

Lebanese President Michel Aoun told visiting U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday that the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement was a Lebanese party with popular support, the Lebanese presidency said.

France says nuclear deal no blank check for rights abuses in Iran

France told Iran on Thursday that European efforts to keep a nuclear deal alive did not mean Tehran had a blank check to violate the human rights of its citizens, after lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh received a long prison sentence.

Iran will boost defense capabilities despite U.S. pressure: Khamenei

Iran is determined to boost its defense capabilities despite mounting pressure from the United States and its allies to curb its ballistic missile program, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Thursday.

 

[angelburst29]

Iran welcomed on Thursday a Luxembourg court's decision to refuse to reinforce a U.S. ruling that would have helped families of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks claim Iranian assets held by a Luxembourg-based clearing house.

Iran welcomes Luxembourg court decision on U.S. seizure of Iranian assets

The court ruled on Wednesday that there were no grounds in international law to uphold in Luxembourg a 2012 U.S. court decision to strip Iran of sovereign immunity.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said the decision showed the world still had courts that adopt independent decisions. “The era of totalitarian and bullying behavior of America toward other countries is over and it can no longer raise such groundless accusations,” Qasemi was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA.

The governor of Central Bank of Iran, Abdolnasser Hemmati, called the decision “an important legal victory for Iran”.

President’s deputy for legal affairs Laya Joneidi was quoted by IRNA as saying that the lawyers won the case by arguing that Sept. 11 attacks were not related to Iran.

Seven years ago, a New York court found there was evidence showing that Iran provided “material support and resources to al Qaeda for acts of terrorism”. The militant group carried out the hijacked plane attacks on New York and Washington.

That court awarded the plaintiffs damages of over $7 billion. Families of victims are seeking access to $1.6 billion of Iranian funds in Luxembourg, which were frozen as part of international sanctions over Iran’s nuclear program.

However, the Luxembourg court said the plaintiffs could not continue their legal case to seize Iranian assets in the country. Iran has denied any links to al Qaeda or any involvement in the Sept. 11 attacks.

Luxembourg court delivers setback to 9/11 families' Iran claims

A Luxembourg court refused on Wednesday to enforce a U.S. ruling that would have helped families of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks claim Iranian assets held with a Luxembourg-based clearing house.

President Rouhani inspects flood damage in northern Iran

President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday inspected damage caused by flash floods in northern Iran and promised compensation to all those affected as the nationwide death toll reached 30.

 

[angelburst29]

The United States is expected to designate Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards Corps a foreign terrorist organization, three U.S. officials told Reuters, marking the first time Washington has formally labeled another country's military a terrorist group.

U.S. to designate elite Iranian force as terrorist organization
[IMG alt="EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.

Members of the Iranian revolutionary guard march during a parade to commemorate the anniversary of the Iran-Iraq war (1980-88), in Tehran September 22, 2011. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY ANNIVERSARY) - GM1E79M1GMB01"]https://static.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&d=20190406&t=2&i=1374000644&r=LYNXNPEF341QL&w=640[/IMG]
The decision, which critics warn could open U.S. military and intelligence officials to similar actions by unfriendly governments abroad, is expected to be announced by the U.S. State Department, perhaps as early as Monday, the officials said. It has been rumored for years.

The Pentagon declined comment and referred queries to the State Department. The State Department and White House also declined to comment. The Iranian mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a strident Iran hawk, has advocated for the change in U.S. policy as part of the Trump administration’s tough posture toward Tehran.

The announcement would come ahead of the first anniversary of President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of a 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran and to reimpose sanctions that had crippled Iran’s economy.

Iran to blacklist U.S. military if Washington designates Guards as terrorists: MP
Iran may put the U.S. military on its terror list if Washington designates the Iranian elite Revolutionary Guards as terrorists, a senior Iranian lawmaker said on Saturday.

Iran's Khamenei urges Iraq to force out U.S. troops 'as soon as possible'

Iran's top leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged Iraq on Saturday to demand U.S. troops leave "as soon as possible", during a visit by Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi that showed off Tehran's strong influence in Baghdad despite U.S. pressure.

Rouhani says Iran ready to expand gas, power trade with Iraq

President Hassan Rouhani called on Saturday for Iran and neighboring Iraq to expand their gas and electricity dealings and boost bilateral trade to $20 billion, state TV reported, despite difficulties caused by U.S. sanctions against Tehran.

Iran expands evacuations as rains worsen floods

Iran moved on Saturday to evacuate more towns and villages threatened by floods after continued rain in the southwest of the country, state television reported, as the nationwide toll from the flooding reached 70.

Iraq closes border crossing with Iran due to floods: sources
Iraq on Saturday closed its Sheeb border crossing with Iran to travelers and trade until further notice, Iraqi security sources said, as flooding continues to submerge villages in the south of Iran.

Blast kills at least three at Iran military shipyard: state media
A submarine battery exploded in an Iranian military shipyward on Saturday, killing three workers, state broadcaster IRIB said.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

The United States is expected to designate Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards Corps a foreign terrorist organization, three U.S. officials told Reuters, marking the first time Washington has formally labeled another country's military a terrorist group.

U.S. to designate elite Iranian force as terrorist organization

The decision, which critics warn could open U.S. military and intelligence officials to similar actions by unfriendly governments abroad, is expected to be announced by the U.S. State Department, perhaps as early as Monday, the officials said. It has been rumored for years.

The US has designated Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization - Bibi is grateful.

US designates Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as terrorist organization – Trump
8 Apr, 2019

Netanyahu thanks Trump for designating Iran’s Revolutionary Guards ‘terrorists’
8 Apr, 2019

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Lebanese President Michael Aoun received a US-Israeli secret document for creating a civil war and possible Israeli invasion.

SECRET DOCUMENT OUTLINES US-ISRAEL PLAN FOR SYRIA-STYLE WAR IN LEBANON: REPORT
08.04.2019

 

[angelburst29]

The US has designated Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization - Bibi is grateful.

April 8, 2019 - Iran decries 'illegal' U.S. designation of Guards, retaliates with terrorism listing: state TV

Iran warned on Monday that Washington's designation of its elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization could endanger peace and stability in the Middle East and beyond, state TV reported.

Iran designates U.S. military forces as 'terrorist' group: state TV
Iran's top security council has designated U.S. military forces a "terrorist organization" in reaction to Washington's decision to blacklist Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist group.

Bahrain welcomes U.S. blacklisting of Iran Revolutionary Guards
Bahrain's Foreign Ministry on Monday welcomed the U.S. decision to designate Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a foreign terrorist organization.

U.S. seeks 'quagmire' with Iran in designating IRGC as terrorist group: Iran foreign minister
Iran's foreign minister said on Sunday U.S. officials aiming to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a terrorist group want to
"drag the U.S. into a quagmire" on behalf of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

'No commercial reason' for Iran's Mahan Air flights to Venezuela: White House official
The United States views private Iranian airline Mahan Air's launch of a direct flight from Tehran to Caracas as a "politically motivated gesture" with "no commercial reason," a White House official said on Monday.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

April 8, 2019 - Iran decries 'illegal' U.S. designation of Guards, retaliates with terrorism listing: state TV
Iran warned on Monday that Washington's designation of its elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization could endanger peace and stability in the Middle East and beyond, state TV reported.

Iran designates U.S. military forces as 'terrorist' group: state TV
Iran's top security council has designated U.S. military forces a "terrorist organization" in reaction to Washington's decision to blacklist Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist group.

The piggy is wrong again! Not the Iran's Suleimani but the US' McKenzie will be viewed the same way as Al-Baghdadi.

Iran’s Suleimani will be viewed the same way as Al-Baghdadi: Pompeo
2019-04-09

Iran Armed Forces to Combat CENTCOM Terror Group: General Staff
April 09, 2019

 

[Ca.]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1120193064272834561

US to end waivers for Iranian oil imports

Later on Monday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will announce that the US is ending its program of sanctions waivers to countries that are still importing oil from Iran.

www.kurdistan24.net

WASHINGTON DC (Kurdistan24) – Later on Monday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will announce that the US is ending its program of sanctions waivers to countries that are still importing oil from Iran.

In November, Washington announced that it would start imposing sanctions on countries buying oil from Iran following the US withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal six months earlier. At the time, the US granted 180 day waivers to eight countries. Three of those countries—Greece, Italy, and Taiwan—have cut their imports to zero, but Turkey, India, Japan and South Korea have continued to import Iranian oil.

Pompeo is expected to announce that those countries must end all imports of Iranian oil by May 2 or become subject to US sanctions, Washington Post columnist Josh Rogin reported on Sunday evening.

“A Turkish official has said the country is ‘expecting’ another waiver, but isn’t getting one,” Rogin wrote. There is a significant chance, it seems, this will soon become one more item in the growing list of issues straining ties between Washington and Ankara.

Related Article: US-Turkish standoff continues over S-400 as Turkish delegation leaves Washington

Iraq has extensive economic relations with Iran, and Iraq has a US sanctions waiver—but it is for electricity rather than oil. Baghdad is dependent on Iranian electricity to meet the country’s needs, particularly in the summer, when demand soars.

Since November, Iraq has received successive 45-day waivers for importing Iranian electricity. It last received such a waiver on March 20, and it seems likely to continue to receive such waivers.

Cognizant of the delicate political balance in Baghdad and the strength of the pro-Iranian factions in parliament, Washington has seemed more focused of late on countering Iranian-backed militias in Iraq than in monitoring its trade with Iran.

Related Article: US warns Iran's IRGC-backed militias in Iraq

The decision to end the oil waivers was now taken as more oil has become available on international markets, US officials say. Moreover, the tougher steps against Iran are being coordinated with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which are to increase their own oil production.

US officials aim to reduce Iranian oil exports to zero. Their publicly stated goal is not to overthrow the Iranian regime, but to oblige Tehran to change its policies and return to the negotiating table to discuss a new, much more restrictive deal.

Nonetheless, last Monday, when Pompeo met with a small group of Iranian-Americans in Texas, he told them, “Our best interest is a non-revolutionary set of leaders leading Iran.”

Tehran is clearly hurting from the measures that the Trump administration has taken. Since last year, Iranian oil exports have dropped by more than half.

Oil prices rose by 2% in Asian markets on Monday morning, to their November 2018 levels, following news of the US decision to end the sanctions waivers, Reuters reported.

Oil prices rise on report US will end all Iran oil sanction waivers

Brent crude futures were at a November 2018 high of $72.70 per barrel at 0100 GMT.

economictimes.indiatimes.com

Snip: April 22, 2019 3 minute Read
The United States is preparing to announce on Monday that all buyers of Iranian oil will have to end their imports shortly or be subject to US sanctions, a Washington Post columnist reported on Sunday.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the report. A State Department spokesman declined to comment.

The US reimposed sanctions in November on exports of Iranian oil after President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled out of a 2015 nuclear accord between Iran and six world pow ..

Washington, however, granted Iran's eight main buyers of oil, mostly in Asia, waivers to the sanctions which allowed them limited purchases for half-a-year.

The report comes amid an oil market that is already relatively tight.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will announce "that, as of May 2, the State Department will no longer grant sanctions waivers to any country that is currently importing Iranian crude or condensate", the Post's columnist Josh Rogin said, citing two State ..

"The path of least resistance remains higher (for oil prices)," said Stephen Innes, head of trading at SPI Asset Management, pointing to Saudi supply cuts, a decline in the US rig count and supply disruptions from Libya to Venezuela as reasons for a tight market.

US energy firms last week reduced the number of oil rigs operating by two, to 825, General Electric Co's Baker Hughes energy services firm said in its weekly report on Thursday.

Outside the United States, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has led supply cuts since the start of the year aimed at tightening global oil markets and to propping up crude prices.

Brent prices have risen by more than a third this year, while WTI has climbed more than 40 per cent over the same period.

 

[Ca.]

Hope this is about "The Art Of The Deal". Bibi, the markets indicate a diffrence from your projections.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1120438879255814144

https://twitter.com/x/status/1120445426430283776

https://twitter.com/x/status/1120351603805097984

 

[goyacobol]

Iran is not taking the U.S. sanctions lightly.

'Iran to fight US economic terror with defensive might'

Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami says the country reserves the right to fight America's "economic terrorism" with its defensive military might, after Washington announced that it won't renew sanctions waivers for oil purchases from the Islamic Republic.

"In order to safeguard the prosperity of our nation and counter America's economic terrorism, we reserve our right to use defensive measures," Hatami told the Conference on International Security in Moscow on Wednesday.

"We believe that the West's inaction against the US is encouraging the audacity of the White House leaders."

The administration of US President Donald Trump has said it seeks to stop Iranian oil sales by imposing sanctions on countries that continue purchasing Iranian crude after May 1.

In May 2018, Trump quit the multilateral nuclear deal with Iran that guaranteed the Islamic Republic’s oil sales and the lifting of US sanctions on the country in return for a number of voluntary limitations on parts of its peaceful nuclear energy program.

Previously, the US had issued waivers to its sanctions for eight major buyers of Iranian crude.

Hatami said he did not think that Washington's "inhumane intentions" in targeting the interests and the prosperity of the Iranian nation would bear fruit.

"I hereby declare as the defense minister of Iran that we will never back down for even a moment from protecting Iran's security and sovereignty despite the hot air that comes from the American regime and some European governments that cannot stand Iran's ability to defend itself, and we will continue on our righteous path to boost our defensive prowess based on a doctrine of deterrence," he asserted.

'US move against IRGC can lead to world war; Trump a new Hitler'

The Iranian defense minister also blasted Trump's recent move to designate the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, and condemned some government's indifference to the decision.

"I warn those countries and governments that not only will this silence affect the people of Western Asia, but it will lead the world towards much more serious consequences like the Second World War," he warned.

The senior Iranian defense official argued that "sanctions and intimidation" are products of an inaccurate understanding of security, an issue that he said has been trying to force itself upon the world after the Second World War.

"The West has already experienced the lethal consequences of non-intervention in the face of racism and selfishness, and [witnessed] the death of millions of European citizens in the Second World War," he said. "And now, a new type of Nazism has emerged in the shape of Trumpism."

"The continuation of this trend can lead the world to an ill-omened conflict," Hatami further warned. "Thus, it is time to prevent the emergence of another Hitler on the global stage."

'Daesh result of security commercialization'

Hatami described Daesh as a product of commercialization of security and said the US has been doing its utmost to keep the group alive for "another two or three decades" but failed thanks to a years-long fight by Iran, Iraq, Syria and Russia.

Hatami noted that while Trump was forced to declare the end of Daesh last year, "the factors that gave way to radicalized ideologies and terrorism are still at work."

He said the US was still trying to help Daesh thrive by allowing the group to grow in Afghanistan.

According to the Defense Minister, the same players who hindered the full return of peace to Iraq and Syria also encouraged the onslaught of Yemeni people and stirred more insecurity in Afghanistan.

'Persian Gulf regimes turning into weapons depot'

Hatami said certain Western "exploitative powers" had turned the Persian Gulf region into a vast weapons depot.

"With the end of Daesh's presence in Iraq and having purged terrorists from most of Syria, reconstruction work has already begun in these countries and the Iranian nation and government will stand with them in this stage as well," Hatami added.