IRAN NEWS POLITICAL DESK

TEHRAN – Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Aerospace Force warned regional Arab countries that Iran would make no distinction between American military bases and the countries hosting those sites if a war broke out.

In an interview with Al-Manar, Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh advised the regional countries working with the U.S. and Israel to rectify their policies.

“The U.S. and the Zionist regime have not created security anywhere, and if something happens in here and a war breaks out, we will make no distinction between the U.S. base and its host country. Naturally, the very same Arab countries of the region will bear the brunt,” he warned.

General Hajizadeh reasserted that the IRGC’s missile power would never be subject to negotiations, saying, “No (Iranian) official is allowed to negotiate about the missile power, and this is our red line.”

He also noted that Iran has independently decided to restrict the range of its missiles to 2,000 kilometers, but such limitation on the range of missile is not eternal.

Reaffirming Iran’s support for whoever fighting against the Zionist regime, the commander said Gaza and Lebanon are at the forefront of the battle and all of their missile capabilities have been supported by the Islamic Republic.

“Instead of giving a fish or teaching to catch a fish, we taught our allies and friends how to make a hook,” he said, adding that they are now in possession of advanced missile technologies.

The Israeli regime is currently at a “crossroad of fire” coming from Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and other Muslim countries, General Hajizadeh said, adding that the friends of Iran are now equipped with missiles with pinpoint accuracy instead of simple rockets.

He said efforts have been made round the clock since years ago after Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei warned the Zionist regime that Haifa and Tel Aviv will be razed to the ground if Israel makes a mistake.

Hajizadeh also pointed to Iran’s retaliatory missile strike on the US base of Ain al-Assad in Iraq after the assassination of Lt. General Qassem Soleimani, saying such attack destroyed the dignity of the US.

On the plans to hit back at the U.S. in January 2020 after the missile strike, the general said, “We were prepared for the American response. Our missile power was fully on alert. If they had given a response, we would have hit all of their bases from Jordan to Iraq and the Persian Gulf, even all of their warships in the Indian Ocean.”

The January 2020 missile attack on Ain al-Assad military base came in retaliation for Washington’s assassination of Lieutenant General Soleimani upon his arrival in the Iraqi capital at the invitation of the Baghdad government.

US forces initially reported no casualties, but it later emerged that at least 110 soldiers sustained traumatic brain injuries (TBIs).

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IRAN NEWS NATIONAL DESK

TEHRAN – Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh underlined his country’s high capability in production of different military equipment, saying that Iran stands among the world’s 10 top states manufacturing radars.

“Out of 20 radar manufacturing states in the world, certainly the Islamic Iran is among the 10 ten,” General Hajizadeh said, addressing a ceremony to put into operation two home-made Ghadir-class radars in the Central and Southeastern provinces of Yazd and Kerman on Tuesday.

He added that overlapping of the radar networks developed by the Iranian Army and the IRGC is one of the major military achievements of Iran, noting that the young Iranian experts are able to produce all radars needed by the operational forces.

“The next radar will be launched in Chabahar city (in Sistan and Balouchestan province) in the next three months and the number of the Ghadir-class radars will increase to 8,” Hajizadeh said.

Referring to the scientific and executive capacity of the elite IRGC Aerospace Forces, Hajizadeh said, “Our young elite forces are able to build and provide the radars needed by the operational forces.”

Yesterday two long-range 3D Ghadir radars designed and developed by Iranian experts have joined the country’s air defense forces.

The radars were put into operation during a ceremony on Tuesday in the presence of Chief Commander of Iran’s Army Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi and Commander of the Aerospace Division of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Brigadier General Hajizadeh.

The Ghadir radar system was first unveiled by the IRGC in 2013. Eight of them have since been installed across the country.

The phased-array radar system has been designed to identify different types of stealth aircraft and deal with electronic warfare.

It is equipped with a large combination of transmitters and receivers in a quadrilateral shape without rotation and mechanical movement, providing 360-degree coverage within a range of over 1,000 kilometers.

The first batch of the long-range sophisticated radar was stationed in a base in the city of Garmsar, Eastern Tehran, in June 2014. The second set was put into service in the Southwestern city of Ahvaz in July 2015.

Totally designed and manufactured by the Iranian military experts at the IRGC Aerospace Force, the Ghadir identifies aerial targets on the basis of 3-dimensional detection. The system enjoys nonstop monitoring capabilities.

Using low signals, Ghadir is a suitable option for electronic warfare.

With a range of nearly 1,100 kilometers, the Iranian radar system can even detect targets with pretty small cross-section areas.

As the radar system is capable of detecting small flying objects and targets at far distances, it leaves no obstruction in radar maintenance industry in Iran.

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According To Iran News, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh highlighted the importance of Friday elections and said the massive participation of the people will help boost the country’s security and power.

“The presence of the people in the elections would help (increase) the country’s security and power and is a fresh blood to the Islamic Republic of Iran’ Establishment,” Brigadier General Hajizadeh told reporters at a polling station in Tehran on Friday after casting his vote.

He further highlighted the importance of “the correct choice” of the people and said, “ The people should choose hardworking, faithful and appropriate individuals.”

“If this is done and capable people are elected to parliament, good things will happen in the country for the next four years,” the commander went on to say.

The nationwide votes for the parliament and the midterm elections of the Assembly of Experts officially began in Iran on Friday morning.

In comments after voting just minutes after beginning the elections, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei described the election day as a “national celebration” and a day to “restore the civil rights of the nation”.

Ayatollah Khamenei also emphasized that participation in the election is a “religious duty”.

“The election guarantees the country’s national interests, and whoever is interested in the country’s national interests must take part in the election,” the Leader added.

Having gone through a formal qualification process by Iran’s Guardian Council, a total of 7,148 candidates, including dozens of Iranians from the religious minorities, are running for the parliament. There are 290 seats in the parliament up for grabs.

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According To Iran News, IRGC aerospace commander says that a threat of war is no longer facing Iran as the country has grown immune against threats, adding it is time for Iran’s counterattack.

Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh says that the enemy has reached the end of the line in confronting Iran and now it’s time for Tehran’s counterattack.

Hajizadeh made the remarks in a response to the latest US officials’ rhetoric against Tehran and Washington’s increasing military presence in the region.

The senior IRGC commander rejected the US officials’ talk of military option against Iran as worthless and empty words, saying that the lack of a reaction to the shooting down of an American drone over the Persian Gulf showed that their talk of a military option against Tehran has been nothing but empty words.

He added that the country has grown immune against the threat of war as it has developed domestically-produced defense systems, warning against the enemy’s infiltration into the country as its latest tactic to hit Iran.

Hajizadeh further referred to the economic pressures, saying that the enemy’s weapon of sanctions has run out of bullets and it is now Tehran’s turn to stage a counterattack.

The senior IRGC commander also referred to a recent increase in the anti-Iran rhetoric of the head of the United Arab Emirates’ police and some Saudi officials, warning them not to misunderstand Iran’s show of restraints over the past years.

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Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the aerospace unit of the IRGC, said on Friday that the drone had received warnings for four times before being shot down.

“Those who guided the drone received the warnings but did not care. Given that the drone breached Iran’s airspace, the aerospace unit of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps shot it down,” Hajizadeh said in an exhibition held in Tehran to showcase the drone’s wreckage.

The IRGC released GPS coordinates that showed the drone eight miles off Iran’s coast, inside the 12 nautical miles from the shore that is Iran’s territorial waters.

“Two warnings were issued on 2:05 on Thursday morning and two others were issued on 3:55 and the drone was shot on 4:05. In fact, four warnings were given to this drone but they did not pay attention. Another spy plane was also flying near this drone which carried 35 crew members and we had the right to shoot that down, however, we shot down the unmanned drone,” the general explained.

Brian Hook, the U.S. point man for Iran, had already questioned Iran’s military capabilities. However, the Iranian military succeeded to bring down the RQ-4 Global Hawk drone with homegrown “Khordad 3” missile.

“Iran has photoshopped images of missile launches to try and show its increased missile capabilities. They’ve also photoshopped antiquated aircraft and tried to pass them off as new stealth fighter jets,” Hook said on a video on June 8.

The IRGC published a video on Thursday night showing the exact moment the drone was hit and brought down.

“The American drone was intercepted, hit and destroyed by the Khordad 3 system at 04:05, today after it entered Iranian air territory,” the IRGC said in a tweet.

U.S. drone took off from UAE

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Friday that the U.S. drone violated the Iranian airspace by flying from the United Arab Emirates and it was targeted near Kouh-e Mobarak.

“At 00:14 U.S. drone took off from the UAE in stealth mode and violated Iranian airspace,” Zarif wrote on his Twitter account.

Zarif said, “It was targeted at 04:05 at the coordinates (25°59’43″N 57°02’25″E) near Kouh-e Mobarak.”

Zarif: Now U.S. is encroaching Iran’s territory

Also, Zarif warned that in addition to waging “economic terrorism” against Iran, the United States is now invading the Iranian territory.

“The U.S. wages economic terrorism on Iran, has conducted covert action against us and now encroaches on our territory,” Zarif tweeted.

Zarif added, “We don’t seek war, but will zealously defend our skies, land and waters.”

The United States has claimed that the drone was operating in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz.

Zarif refuted the claim, saying, “We’ll take this new aggression to the UN and show that the U.S. is lying about international waters.”

The foreign minister said Iran has found parts of the downed drone in its territorial waters.

“We’ve retrieved sections of the U.S. military drone in OUR territorial waters where it was shot down,” Zarif explained.

The IRGC displayed parts of the downed drone on Friday noon, refuting earlier claims by the U.S. that the drone was flying over international waters.

$130 million surveillance drone

General Hajizadeh said the U.S. lost one of its most sophisticated and expensive spy aircrafts.

The Global Hawk drone, made by Northrop Grumman Corp, is used for intelligence-gathering over water and coastal areas, and costs around $130 million, according to industry experts. It can fly at high altitudes for more than 30 hours, gathering near-real-time, high-resolution imagery of large areas of land in all types of weather.

The IRGC announced on Thursday that the surveillance drone was shot down near the Kouh-e Mobarak region in the central district of Jask after the aircraft violated Iran’s airspace.

“The Global Hawk spy drone took off from one of the U.S. forces’ bases south of the Persian Gulf at 00:14 a.m. today and turned off all its Identification (Identification Friend or Foe) equipment and continued flight from the Strait of Hormuz to Chabahar port in a full stealth mode,” the statement said, according to Fars.

“The drone started collecting intelligence in a spying operation when it was returning towards the western parts of the region near the Strait of Hormuz and it violated the airspace over the Islamic Republic of Iran’s territory,” it added.

Trump approves strikes on Iran, but then abruptly pulls back

According to The New York Times, President Trump approved military strikes against Iran in retaliation for downing the surveillance drone, but pulled back from launching them on Thursday night after a day of escalating tensions.

As late as 7 p.m., military and diplomatic officials were expecting a strike, after intense discussions and debate at the White House among the president’s top national security officials and congressional leaders, according to multiple senior administration officials involved in or briefed on the deliberations.

Officials said the president had initially approved attacks on a handful of Iranian targets, like radar and missile batteries.

The operation was underway in its early stages when it was called off, a senior administration official said. Planes were in the air and ships were in position, but no missiles had been fired when word came to stand down, the official said.

It was not clear whether Mr. Trump simply changed his mind on the strikes or whether the administration altered course because of logistics or strategy. It was also not clear whether the attacks might still go forward.

Asked about the plans for a strike and the decision to hold back, the White House declined to comment, as did Pentagon officials. No government officials asked The New York Times to withhold the article.

Pentagon warned strike could result in spiraling escalation

Trump’s national security advisers split about whether to respond militarily. Senior administration officials said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; John R. Bolton, the national security adviser; and Gina Haspel, the CIA director, had favored a military response. But top Pentagon officials cautioned that such an action could result in a spiraling escalation with risks for American forces in the region.

Congressional leaders were briefed by administration officials in the Situation Room.

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Addressing a cultural ceremony in Tehran, IRGC Aerospace Force Commander Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh hailed Iran’s success in turning the cruel hostile sanctions into an opportunity for self-reliance.

While arms sanctions against Iran have been in place since the establishment of the Islamic Republic, the country turned the threats into opportunities and achieved the capability to export arms, he added.

The enemies acknowledge Iran’s great deterrent and defense power, the general said, adding that the country’s might has forced the enemies to treat the Iranian Armed Force with respect.

His comments came after Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei urged the Iranian Armed Forces to boost their military capabilities and preparedness in such a way that the enemies would not ever dare think of threaten the country.

In a gathering of Navy commander on Wednesday, Ayatollah Khamenei highlighted the need to rely on the “young, pious and motivated” human resources in all parts of the country, including in the Armed Forces, and called for accelerated efforts and increased preparedness to counter the adversaries.

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Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh announced on Tuesday that some 77 terrorist operations have been diffused in western and northwestern borders of the country during the current fiscal year (started on March 21).

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“Today, we have managed to produce a coast-to-sea ballistic- not cruise- missile, which has a complicated technology,” he said, adding, “We can target warships from a distance of 700 kilometers.”

“Today, all of our produced missiles with ranges from 200 km to 2,000km have pin-point accuracy, the commander went on to say.

Iranian military experts and technicians have in recent years made great headways in manufacturing a broad range of indigenous equipment, making the armed forces self-sufficient in the arms sphere.

Iranian officials have repeatedly underscored that the country will not hesitate to strengthen its military capabilities, including its missile power, which are entirely meant for defense, and that Iran’s defense capabilities will be never subject to negotiations.

Back in February 2018, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei called for efforts to maintain and boost Iran’s defense capabilities, hitting back at the enemies for disputing the country’s missile program.

“Without a moment of hesitation, the country must move to acquire whatever is necessary for defense, even if the whole world is opposed to it,” Ayatollah Khamenei said on February 18.

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Addressing a veterans’ conference in Tehran, Shamkhani was referring to the IRGC’s missile attacks on Daesh positions in Syria two nights earlier.

A few days earlier, Bolton had warned Iran over any move against its forces in Syria. “I might imagine they would take me seriously when I assure them today that if you cross us, our allies or our partners, if you harm our citizens, if you continue to lie, cheat and deceive. Yes, there will indeed be hell to pay,” Bolton had said.

“He is bullying, that guy with mustaches, Bolton. Yes, ‘Boloton’. It would be better to say ‘Bulletin’, because he keeps talking, saying ‘Take us seriously!’” Shamkhani said sarcastically.

He went on to ask: “What is Daesh doing just three miles away from you? You [to audience] are all military men. Is it possible that two opposing groups be as close as 3 miles without a fight?”

“We defeated America with the Revolution. We defeated America by defeating Saddam. By pursuing the revolution over 40 years we defeated America. Today the most evil Americans are ruling America. This is an opportunity for us to defeat this last-generation, evil American and turn ourselves into an unrivaled power, and that is possible.”

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