The Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) of the Islamic Republic denies that it has prepared thirteen scenarios to avenge the death of the Qods Force Chief Commander, Qassem Soleimani, on January 3, in Baghdad.
In a statement on Tuesday, January 7, SNSC dismissed reports citing its Secretary Ali Shamkhani saying that the Islamic Republic is considering thirteen scenarios to take revenge for Soleimani's death in a U.S. airstrike.
Soleimani was the Chief Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps' (IRGC) Qods Force, in charge of Iran's extraterritorial military operations.
He was killed in a U.S. drone attack almost immediately after his plane landed at Baghdad airport.
Earlier, the IRGC-linked Fars news agency had quoted Shamkhani, himself an IRGC Rear Admiral, noting in an interview that Tehran was considering thirteen scenarios to exact revenge on the U.S. in retaliation.
Without any elaboration, Shamkhani had insisted that even the weakest scenarios under consideration will create an “historic nightmare” for the U.S.
Another IRGC-run news agency, Tasnim, also published the interview on early Tuesday.
"Should Americans not leave the region on their own, we would push out their bodies horizontally (in coffins)," Shamkhani asserted.
However, hours later, Fars and Tasnim removed the report from their websites without any explanation.
Citing the SNSC, Iran's official news agency, IRNA, dismissed that the interview had taken place.
In a criminal act, a local news outlet has attributed a false interview to the Secretary of the SNSC. An investigation is underway to prosecute whoever is responsible for publishing the fake interview, IRNA noted.
The Islamic Republic President Hassan Rouhani preside over the SNSC.
President Donald Trump ordered the drone strike that killed Soleimani, the Islamic Republic's most important military leader, late last week. Tehran has vowed to exact "severe revenge" over Soleimani's killing.