W styczniu 2024 r. dowódca Siły Kuds, IRGC gen. Esmail Kaani, dowódca irańskich sił zbrojnych gen. Mohammed Bagheri i tuba irańskiego reżimu, gazeta „Kayhan” powtórzyli, odpowiednio, w swoich przemówieniach i artykułach, że wizją Iranu jest zniszczenie Izraela. Wyrazili także dumę z operacji prowadzonych przez członków wspieranej przez Iran osi oporu – tj. pełnomocników Iranu – na ich różnych frontach przeciwko Izraelowi.
Podczas przemówienia gen. Kaani odpowiedział członkowi widowni, który domagał się „surowej zemsty” na wrogach Iranu, mówiąc: „My [Siła Kuds IRGC] robimy to każdego dnia. Musimy podziękować naszym bohaterom w Libanie, Iraku, Jemen i wszystkich krajach, którzy wspierają uciśniony naród palestyński”. Godne uwagi jest to, że oświadczenie gen. Kaaniego stoi w sprzeczności z praktyką irańskich oficjeli polegającą na dystansowaniu Iranu od jakichkolwiek operacji przeciwko Izraelowi prowadzonych przez pełnomocników Iranu.
W przemówieniu gen. Bagheri wezwał do uznania „epickiego męstwa” Palestyńczyków podczas masakry dokonanej przez Hamas w południowym Izraelu 7 października 2023 r. jako „błogosławieństwa [irańskiej] rewolucji islamskiej” oraz „produkty szerzenia ducha i kultury” Irańczyków w wojnie irańsko-irackiej toczącej się w latach 1980-88, „czego rezultatem było utworzenie osi oporu we wszystkich zakątkach świata”. Dodał, że działalność dowódcy Siły Kuds IRGC, gen. Kasema Solejmaniego, który zginął w amerykańskim nalocie w styczniu 2020 r., skonsolidowała oś oporu w regionie i przekształciła jej grupy członkowskie w „potężne drzewa, które wydają cenne owoce”.
Ze swojej strony tuba reżimu irańskiego, gazeta „Kayhan”, wyraziła podobny pogląd, z dumą z osi oporu, którą Iran ustanowił i skonsolidował przeciwko Izraelowi. Zapewniono, że zemsta Iranu nastąpi „przez upadek zachodniej cywilizacji, ścięcie głowy szatanowi [tj. Izraela] w Jerozolimie i wysłanie tych, którzy kultywowali tego szatana [tj. USA i Zachód] do piekła, jednego po drugim – [i] uciskani [tj. muzułmanie] będą świętować ostateczne zwycięstwo.”
[Ciąg dalszy tekstu – główne punkty wypowiedzi generałów Kaaniego i Bagheriego oraz artykułów opublikowanych przez „Kayhan” – nie są spolszczone]
IRGC Qods Force Commander Gen. Qaani: „The Day Will Come When The Criminal America Will Be Forced To Suffer From the Harsh Consequences Of Its Support For The Zionist Regime”
In a January 3, 2024 speech marking the fourth anniversary of the killing of his predecessor, Qassem Soleimani, by the U.S., IRGC Qods Force commander Gen. Esmail Qaani emphasized the importance of achieving the Islamic Revolution’s goal of destroying Israel. He explained that the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic resistance would not relinquish the idea of uprooting the Zionist regime until the emergence of the rule of the Hidden Imam, the Mahdi, or Shi’ite messiah, who will lead humanity. Although Iranian regime officials claim that Iran is not involved in the fighting against Israel and that the Iran-backed resistance factions decided independently to attack Israel, Gen. Qaani hinted that Iran does play a role in these operations, saying, „We are doing this every day.” He even said that the resistance operations against Israel, and reiterated other regime officials’ assertions that the U.S. must bear the consequences of its support for Israel and pay a much higher price for doing so than it has so far.
The following are the main points of his speech:
Specifically responding to a member of the audience who said that Iran must exact „harsh vengeance” against its enemies, Gen. Qaani said, „We are doing this every day.” He added, „we must thank our heroes in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, and all the countries that support the oppressed Palestinian people, and we must remember all the martyrs of the resistance.”
He continued: „The ceremony this year is held as the Palestinian heroes are fighting a battle in Gaza, and, together with these heroes, the members of the resistance in Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen are supporting these Palestinian heroes and coordinating with each other, in accordance with the conditions and necessity, based on their correct analyses and their divine duty…
„We must thank our heroes in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, and in all the countries that support the oppressed [Palestinian] people, and must remember all the martyrs of the resistance.”
„We must tell the enemies of the resistance, of Islam, and of the Muslim nation – [that is,] the global arrogance [i.e. the U.S.] and the bloodthirsty Zionist regime that is massacring children –despite the propaganda that they launched around the world – how well can their base stand against the resistance?
„The resistance movement fought you [Israel], and attacked you, for the sake of Palestine, on a single day. What happened so that the Palestinian resistance destroyed all the foundations of your government, to the extent that the U.S. Secretary of State [Antony Blinken] announced in the media that when he entered the Zionist regime, he felt that everything had collapsed[?] You claimed that you are the greatest military, and the fifth or sixth [most powerful] army in the world, but the resistance movement dealt you a fatal blow.
„That is why the criminal America came with all its power, and stood alongside the Zionist regime. Today, all the nations in the world that have awakened are settling the 'account’ of the Zionist regime and of the criminal America in the same spreadsheet. The day will come when the criminal America will be forced to suffer from the harsh consequences of its involvement and support for the Zionist regime, more [than it is] today.
Qaani delivering his speech against a backdrop of the Al-Aqsa mosque, Qassem Soleimani, and the late IRGC commander in Syria, Sayyed Razi Moussavi, recently killed in an Israeli airstrike (Source: Fars News Agency, Iran, January 3, 2024)
„Today in Gaza, all the materialist superpowers of the world have gathered, and there is no room left in this land to bring in military equipment and tanks. There is no [part] of [Gaza] that has not gone up in flames. Today, 89 days since all the armies in the world came together, the resistance axis is confronting them and fighting them.
„The Palestinian resistance in the war has today become more active. The Zionist regime’s statistics on its fatalities grow by the day. The resistance is fighting more energetically, and is standing as strong as necessary, and it is the criminal America and the Zionist regime who will leave the battlefield in disgrace.
„At Soleimani’s funeral, you heard from one of the prominent Palestinian leaders, three times, at the end of his speech, that Soleimani was the martyr of Jerusalem. Today, in fact, it is the martyr Soleimani and his brothers in Palestine who are fighting the Zionist regime.
„Today we must congratulate and console all the Iranians who were in Kerman [at the January 3, 2024 memorial ceremony for Soleimani] whose brothers and children were attacked by the bloodthirsty people (ISIS) who are funded by America and the Zionists, and who are committing crimes. I also congratulate and console the resistance front for the martyrdom of [senior Hamas official] Saleh Al-Arouri [in Syria]. His killing, along with the killing of [IRGC commander in Syria] Sayyed Razi [Moussavi] and the [ISIS] terror incident in Kerman, show the extent of the enemy’s desperation. But they do not know that the resistance and the Islamic Republic [of Iran] will not give up on the methodology of uprooting the Zionist regime, no matter how hard it [the Zionist regime] tries, and this will continue until the Zionist regime is destroyed and until the rule of the Hidden Imam [is established].”[1]
Iranian Armed Forces Commander Gen. Bagheri: The Resistance Front Is The Fruit Of The Spirit Disseminated By Imam Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini In The Lives Of Iran’s Citizens And The Muslims
In a January 8, 2024 speech at a conference held by the directors of Iran’s Foundation for the Preservation of Works and Publication of the Values of the Iran-Iraq War, Iranian Armed Forces commander Gen. Mohammed Bagheri praised the Palestinian people’s resistance and the resistance axis’ participation in the war in Gaza. The resistance axis, he said, is the fruit of the spirit disseminated among the Muslims by the father of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, among the Muslims. Gen. Bagheri also referred to the Shi’ite messianic vision that guides the Iranian regime, of the appearance of the Hidden Imam and his global rule. The following are the main points of his speech:
„Operation Al-Aqsa Flood is a turning point, in the sense that some fighters who are completely besieged in Gaza, with no facilities or communication with the outside world, were able to successfully plan and carry out such a large military operation [i.e. the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacres in southern Israel], surprising the enemy, whose intelligence capabilities are one of its strengths, on a global level. [Another turning point in this operation is that these fighters] carried out this operation with means that they produced themselves, crushing the security of the occupying [Israeli] regime and severely damaging the Zionists’ hopes for the future.
=Iranian Armed Forces commander Gen. Mohammed Bagheri (Source: Tasnim News Agency, Iran, January 8, 2024)
„The Palestinian fighters who dealt with the barbaric crimes committed by the Zionists against the oppressed and strong Palestinian nation in Gaza [after October 7] remain steadfast, together with their nation, against the Zionist enemy. The people of Gaza advance their goals without expressing the slightest amazement or apprehension. On the other hand, among the Zionists there are many complaints and psychological problems.
„The will of the Palestinian people is to realize its right, that is, its freedom and sovereignty. These epics and successes must be viewed as the blessings of the Islamic Revolution and as the products of the dissemination of the spirit and culture of the Holy Defense [i.e. the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War] which resulted in the creation of the resistance axis in all corners of the world. The saplings planted by Hajj Qassem Soleimani in the region have grown into powerful trees that bear precious fruit. The oppressed Palestinian people stands empty-handed in the face of the Zionists, who will, if some day America will stop supporting them, certainly collapse and not remain.
„Since the day of the incident (the beginning of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood), and to this day, some of America’s military commanders are present in occupied Palestine [i.e. Israel] and are managing the [war] arena. Every day, America sends a large number of planes [and] bombs, and a variety of equipment to the Zionists. Unfortunately, some of the countries in the region send ships with equipment for the Zionists. Even the ships from the countries whose leaders repeat failed slogans in support of the oppressed Palestinian people carry equipment to the occupied territories [Israel] on a daily basis. Despite all the help that these countries are providing to the Zionist regime, its survival is absolutely in doubt, and this is not its only failure.
„Despite the minimal means, and despite being besieged, the warriors of Yemen [i.e. the Houthis] are showing their authority in the Red Sea against the enemies and the supporters of the Zionists, and are preventing passage to ships being dispatched to the Zionist regime. Other resistance forces in Iraq, Syria, and elsewhere are doing their best [against Israel]. These are the fruits of the Islamic Revolution and of the Holy Defense. The spirit disseminated by Imam [Khomeini] in the lives of Iran’s citizens and the Muslims is expanding, growing, and improving from generation to generation, and the resistance front is one of its fruits.
„Achieving a great victory at these levels certainly involves many difficulties, including sanctions, pressure, martyrdom, and wars. However, what is certain is that the front of truth is on the path of growth, advancement, and victory, and is bearing these difficulties in order to attain blessings, influence, and precious fruits…
„At the height of hypocrisy following the [ISIS] terror attack [at Soleimani’s memorial ceremony in Kerman], the Americans condemned [the attack] and sent condolences – but behind the scenes, they are supporting, inciting, and attempting to train and instruct the terrorists, sending them to fight against the people of Iran and other countries. These acts are because of the evil and malice of the global arrogance, headed by the criminal America.
„The Iranian nation and the resistance axis have shown that they are continuing in their path, withstanding pain and torment, because this path is clear and transparent and the victory of Islam and the front of truth depend on its continuation. With God’s help, with the appearance of the Hidden Imam we will witness the absolute victory of Islam and the Muslims against the front of falsehood [i.e. America and the West]…”[2]
Regime Mouthpiece Kayhan: „Every Day That Zionism Lives Is A Betrayal Of Mankind And A Crime Against Humanity – It Is The Greatest Crime Of America, England, France, And Germany, Who Saved Israel From Death On October 7”
In a January 9, 2024 article titled „Fierce Revenge,” the Iranian regime mouthpiece Kayhan called for violence against Israel and against the U.S. and the European countries that support Israel. Accusing all these countries of involvement in the January 3 Kerman terror attack at the memorial for Soleimani, it added that the resistance axis is now completing Soleimani’s unfinished mission against America and Israel. The following are the main points of the article:
„Europe’s dark history is full of war, bloodshed, and crime, and the terrorists are still supported by the West. Look at Gaza – how Germany, France, England, and America gave CPR to Israel, and how they dropped, on the women and children of Gaza, which is 365 square kilometers [in area], the same quantity [of explosives] as three of the nuclear bombs that the U.S. dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki [sic].
„The resistance axis means those who refuse to surrender to the dictatorship of Satan, of Satan’s spawn, and of Pharaoh’s global rule. These people [of the resistance axis] declared that our God is Allah, and they have adhered to this path. They are not oppressors, and they do not accept oppression. The historic oppression against these united [forces] in this region [i.e. of the members of the resistance axis] is twofold. Future generations will remember the barbaric leaders of America with anger and hate. The disgrace of the birth of the cubs of ISIS will remain [as a mark of shame] on their foreheads,[3] and they [also] cannot remove the filthy stain of the birth of Zionism from their foreheads.
„The great activity of Hajj Qassem [Soleimani], that drove the sons of Satan insane, was that he took the land away from the barbaric ISIS. And now his unfinished mission, of expelling the evil of Israel from the world, is being completed by Hizbullah [in Lebanon], Ansar Allah [the Houthis in Yemen], Al-Hashd Al-Sha’bi [in Iraq], and Hamas. They [i.e. the resistance axis] have realized that every day that Zionism lives is a betrayal of mankind and a crime against humanity. This is the greatest crime of America, Britain, France and Germany, who saved Israel from death on October 7.
„Even if [Operation] Al-Aqsa Flood yields some outcome for Israel, [no such gain can possibly] make up for the scandal of October 7. And if Operation Al-Aqsa Flood ends with peace, or with any other outcome, [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu will either be killed by his extremists or deposed as a failed soldier, and Israel will never be an independent state, as one Western analyst noted. The reality is beyond the destruction of Israel. In principle, what is clear is the inability of the five fading superpowers – America, Britain, France, Germany and Israel – to manage a war against the young men of Hamas. Those governments, which are either NATO members or have veto power in the [UN] Security Council, and purport to run the world, never entered the arena to help Ukraine against Russia as they did to defend Israel against the young men of Gaza – and it is proven that the Gaza young people’s three-striped [i.e. jogging] pants are worth all the medals of the generals of these five countries.
„Those 4+1 governments [the U.S., Britain, France, Germany and Israel] wanted to divide Iran last year [a reference to the anti-regime demonstrations in Iran], yet are now helpless in the face of the occupation of [Gaza’s] 365 square kilometers. These governments wanted to see the birth of a new Middle East, as envisioned by [then-U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza] Rice, but instead they birthed [failure]. There is no doubt that America is managing Israel’s battle against the young men of Gaza, and that Netanyahu is like a beaten child whose parents came to his aid – and everyone is sick and tired of this. The same group of thugs [the U.S. and its allies] is helpless in the face of the young Yemeni men in [plastic] flip-flops, and it seems that the defeat of the Satans is underway.
„That is their method – when they are defeated and humiliated on the ground, they become more cowardly and focus on terrorism and on killing innocent people. They exact revenge against the children who slapped them, or kill commanders in their homes, such as [IRGC commander in Syria] Sayyed Razi [Moussavi], using rockets like cowards instead of [fighting] bravely on the battlefield. This is exactly how they killed [Iranian nuclear chief Mohsen] Fakhrizadeh, Hajj Qassem [Soleimani], [Iranian] nuclear scientists, and innocent, helpless people who visited [Soleimani’s] grave [in Kerman on January 3, 2024].
„The world sees that the resistance axis kills Israeli soldiers, [and destroys] their tanks and their equipment, and that America and Israel kill women, children, and infants. The world sees that the Hamas fighters teach Israeli prisoners [i.e. the hostages] to read the Quran and lead a human life, while the Zionist rabbi issues a ruling [permitting] rape and the killing of children.
„The world sees that the resistance strikes [military] targets and that America and Israel strike indiscriminately and blindly [at civilians]. The world sees that Israel, with America’s support, threatens and carries out terror operations more brazenly than ever, while the U.N., the Security Council, and the human rights organizations are blind, deaf, and dumb, and confused and helpless.
„The world sees that the children of Gaza are being killed, either by hunger, thirst, and fear or by the American and Israeli one-ton bombs and phosphorus [munitions]. The world sees how [the governments that condemned Iran for the murder of] Mahsa Amini [for improper hijab wear] are killing babies and women and mocking sweet children like [the girl] in the pink jacket and heart-shaped earrings [who was killed in Kerman], who are like the angels of heaven.
„Yes, the terrible crime in Kerman was carried out by the wild and ignorant ISIS, [whose fighters] accept bribes to blow themselves up, instead of thinking. But the warfare methods of America and Israel, and the distorted statements by ISIS, strengthened the suspicion that Israel was involved [in the Kerman bombing]. The only way of thinking that regularly kills prophets, saints, and innocent people is the cruel and evil way of thinking of Zionism. Almost every American president is like this, and ISIS has confirmed [that it is the same] by its behavior.
„The religion of ISIS, which has shown no response to the despicable crimes of the Zionists and America in these three months of the killing of Gaza residents, is nothing but Zionism. To understand that the religion of ISIS is Zionism, it is sufficient to [note that even] atheists, Buddhists, Jews, and Christians have expressed solidarity with the Muslims – but that ISIS itself has not.
„It is never reasonable to expect mercy and humanity from [anyone with] this way of thinking. What do they [the Zionists] know about love if they chew the flower instead of smelling it? The Children of Israel, who have become Pharoah who seeks to enslave the world – what do they know about freedom? What does the way of thinking that committed fratricide against Abel and slandered Joseph do to others? What does someone who is satisfied with killing and blood want from life?
„In a word, can a way of thinking that views man as a human wolf even be considered human, with virtues and emotions? Clearly, this way of thinking involving killing and murder will continue to grow and cause pain, sometimes in Gaza and Lebanon, and other times in Kerman. This is an evil way of thinking that has no religion and is attributed to the cult called Zionism, which has no homeland…
„As of today, we must think about the problematic situation of the world that includes the wild demon of Zionism that has dragged the world into blood and destruction. [May] the house of the oppressive America, that filled the homes of the lovers of freedom with sorrow and anguish, be destroyed. It is not too late for us to avenge the murderers of Hajj Qassem and of the pilgrims who came to Kerman last Wednesday [January 3, 2024] by bringing down Western civilization, beheading the Satan [i.e. Israel] in Jerusalem, and sending those who cultivated this Satan [i.e. the U.S. and the West] to Hell, one after another. The oppressed [i.e. the Muslims] will celebrate the final victory, with God’s help.”[4]
[1] Fars News Agency (Iran), January 3, 2024.
[2] Tasnim News Agency (Iran), January 8, 2024.
[3] Iran claims that the United States created ISIS..
[4] Kayhan (Iran), January 9, 2024.
