Iran's Revolutionary Guard threatened on Tuesday to use new weapons if Iran came under another attack, affirming that Iranian forces were ready to respond to any potential military action amid US threats to resume attacks and diplomatic efforts to return Tehran and Washington to the negotiating track.
Revolutionary Guard message to the American people
Revolutionary Guard spokesman Brigadier General Hossein Mohebi said during a press conference in Tehran that his message was addressed to the American people to spread the truth, not to influence the congressional midterm elections scheduled for next November. Mohebi accused the United States of seeking to plunder and divide Iran, saying it had imposed an air blockade on his country after what he described as the failure of the economic war and naval blockade.
He said US rulers did not think about their people, noting that 39 million Americans lived below the poverty line, as he put it. The Iranian military spokesman also said there was no justification for the deployment of 800 US bases in other countries around the world. He described US accusations that Tehran was seeking to produce nuclear weapons as the “lie of the century”, affirming that Iran had never sought to possess nuclear weapons and remained committed to that position.
Regarding military preparations, Mohebi said Iranian forces were ready to respond to any potential aggression against the country and that the Revolutionary Guard would resort to new weapons if the attacks resumed. He added: “We continue to produce and manufacture new weapons in large quantities to defend ourselves.”
American personnel injured in the Strait of Hormuz
The statements came after US officials revealed to NBC on Sunday that eight US Marines had been injured when a vessel they were aboard was targeted by an Iranian anti-ship missile in the Strait of Hormuz two weeks earlier. Tehran had previously threatened to expand the scope of its attacks in the region if it came under further US attacks.
The United States has launched several waves of strikes on Iran in recent weeks, while Tehran responded with regional attacks that it said targeted US bases and interests. Alongside the military confrontation, Washington is imposing a strict naval blockade on Iran.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly declared that the Strait of Hormuz is open and spoken of large quantities of oil passing through the vital waterway, while Tehran continues to insist that it controls the strait.
