Iranian Army Commander Major General Seyed Abdolrahim Mousavi underlined his forces' preparedness to give a rapid and crushing response to any aggression by enemies.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani underlined that although his country is ready for talks with all the world states, it will never bow to the pressures exerted by the superpowers, specially the US, and will not sell its independence.

Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Hossein Salami underlined that Iran will continue defeating enemies in subsequent battles until their final and ultimate defeat.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has strongly condemned US assassination of IRGC Quds Force Commander Major General Qassem Soleimani, saying it will strengthen the resistance movement across the world.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says those who assassinated IRGC Quds Force Commander Major General Qassem Soleimani must await a tough revenge.

Major General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), have been killed in US airstrikes in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

The Iranian foreign ministry on Wednesday summoned the Swiss charge de 'affairs to Tehran whose country represents the US interests in the Islamic Republic, and voiced strong protest at Washington’s recent allegations against Iran over the recent developments in Iraq.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has strongly condemned the deadly American air raids that targeted the positions of Iraq’s Hashd al-Sha’abi forces, saying Washington is in fact taking revenge on the popular forces because of the key role they played in defeating the Daesh terror group.

Iran has called on the United States to abandon its destructive policies in the region as Tehran rejects Washington’s groundless accusation that the Islamic Republic is behind anti-US protests in Iraq.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that the last week joint naval drills by Iran, China and Russia in the Indian Ocean and the Sea of Oman displeased the US, Britain and some small countries of the region.