Media in Iran report that Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his deputies have paid a visit to the commanders of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) following the U.S. decision to designate the controversial military force as a “Foreign Terrorist Organization”.
In the meeting Zarif called the U.S. move “stupid” and claimed that it has created “unity and sympathy in the country” and he added that it is a sign of “the desperate” nature of U.S. policies in the region.
The U.S. took its decision arguing that the IRGC is a vehicle for Iran’s clerical rulers to support terrorist groups in the Mideast and around the world.
Present in the meeting were Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari the top commander of IRGC, Gen Qassem Soleimani the commander of the extraterritorial Qods force and commanders of other main branches of the Guards.
Gen. Jafari also called the U.S. move “very ridiculous” and threatened that American troops in the region are at the mercy of IRGC. He added that “They cannot take any military action against Iran and they wouldn’t dare”.
In a related development, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo responded to a Fox News question about Soleimani on April 9, responded "He is a terrorist".
Currently, there are 5,200 U.S. troops in Iraq and 2,000 in Syria, in addition to the U.S. 5th fleet based in Bahrain and a base in Qatar.
Although Iran has a variety of missiles deployed in the Persian Gulf, but the U.S. Navy and air power in the region carry serious firepower in case of any military confrontation.
