Top Commander: Iran among Missile Powers

Rasa - Chief of Staff of Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri underlined his country's high missile power one day after the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) launched missile strikes against the ISIL bases 700km away in Syria.

News ID: 430454

Date: 19 June 2017 - 23:36

RNA - "Iran is among the world's big powers in the missile field," General Baqeri said, addressing a meeting in Tehran on Monday.

He stressed the arrogant powers' weakness in confrontation with Iran, and said, "They don’t have the capability to engage in clashes with us for now and of course, we don’t intend to involve in clashes with them but we are in permanent rivalry with them in different fields, including the missile sector."

The IRGC launched 6 missile strikes at ISIL centers in Syria's Deir Ezzur in retaliation for the June 7 twin terrorist attacks in Tehran, it said in a statement issued on Sunday, adding that the mid-range ballistic missiles were fired from bases in Western Iran.

"The Takfiri terrorists' command center, concentration points and logistical centers used for assembling cars for suicide attacks in Deir Ezzur region in Eastern Syria came under attack by the IRGC moments ago in a move to punish the terrorists for the twin attacks on the Iranian parliament and the holy shrine of the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, on June 7," the statement issued by the IRGC Public Relations Office said.

"A number of mid-range ground-to-ground missiles fired from the IRGC Aerospace Force bases in Kermanshah and Kurdistan provinces targeted the Takfiri terrorists in this operation and struck them with lethal and crushing blows," the statement said.

The statement further added that according to intel and reports, "a large number of Takfiri terrorists have been killed and their equipment, systems and weapons have been destroyed" in the operation.

The IRGC cautioned that the missile strikes were just a warning to deter any further action by the terrorists. "The IRGC warns the Takfiri terrorists and their regional and trans-regional supporters that they would be engulfed by its revolutionary wrath and flames of the fire of its revenge in case they repeat any such devilish and dirty move in future."

An hour later, the IRGC put the number of the missiles at 6, and said that they flew through Iraq's airspace.

Three unknown assailants fired several rounds at the guards protecting the parliament building in Tehran on June 7. The assailants opened their way into the parliament's administrative building while shooting at the guards and civilians.

A similar attack took place at the holy shrine of the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, parallel with the parliament attack.

A sum of 18 people, including a parliament guard, were killed and 52 others were wounded in the twin attacks claimed by the ISIL.

847/940