Iran to Retaliate Against US Aggression if Launched

By Stephen Lendman

The US under both right wings of its war party is an unprecedented bully on the world stage.

It’s ruling regimes represent an unparalleled threat to everyone everywhere.

The long aggressive arm of its military operates in parts of the world where it doesn’t belong — notably the Middle East, Europe, East Asia, Latin America, and parts of Africa.

Wherever US forces show up time and again mass slaughter, vast destruction, and/or human misery follow.

Nations the US doesn’t control are on its target list for regime change by aggression, war by other means, or old-fashioned coups — notably China, Russia and Iran.

The former two are unlikely to be attacked militarily because of their formidable retaliatory power, though it’s possible by accident or design.

The threat of nuclear war exists that’s able to kill us all if launched, a self-destructive act of madness if US dark forces go this far.

Do Trump regime hardliners consider Iran an easier target to attack militarily? Do they foolishly believe they can easily prevail in a war of aggression?

Pentagon commanders know otherwise. They understand war and risks of waging them, especially against nations with powerful militaries like Iran.

They know the US hasn’t won a war since WW II ended. While Iran can’t match US military power, it can and no doubt will retaliate strongly if aggressively attacked.

Though not nuclear armed and dangerous like the US, the IRGC had over 40 years to prepare for aggression by an adversary like the US and Israel.

Its weapons are sophisticated enough to hit back hard against an aggressor. It can likely inflict major damage on US regional assets if attacked.

The US has been unable to control Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Yemen after years of endless wars — Iran a more formidable adversary than any of the above nations if aggressively attacked.

Going this far would be madness. In response to Trump’s hostile saber rattling, Iran’s IRGC commander General Hossein Salami said the following:

“I have ordered our naval forces to destroy any American naval force in the Persian Gulf that threatens the security of Iran’s military or non-military ships,”

“We (warn) the Americans that we are fully determined and serious in defending our national security, maritime borders, maritime interests, maritime security and security of our forces at sea and any (wrong) move (by to Trump regime) will meet our decisive, effective and prompt response.”

In response to Trump’s ordered assassination of Iranian Quds Force commander General Qassem Soleimani, the Pentagon saw the IRGC’s retaliatory capability firsthand.

On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif slammed Trump’s saber rattling threats, tweeting:

“US military is hit by over 5000#Covid-19 infections. @realdonaldtrump should attend to their needs, not engage in threats cheered on by Saddam’s terrorists” (likely referring to anti-Iranian MKO elements).

“Also, US forces have no business 7,000 miles away from home, provoking our sailors off our OWN Persian Gulf shores.”

In July 2018, Iran’s Tasnim News cited documents released by the Trump regime’s justice department that showed “close ties between Donald Trump’s inner circle and Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO or MEK), an anti-Iran terrorist group which was taken off the US’ terrorist organization list in 2009,” adding:

US establishment media reported that then-Trump regime national security advisor John Bolton and DJT’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani “met at least five times with the MKO terrorists” in 2018.

“The NCRI is the political wing of the MKO, one of the oldest and bloodiest terror groups in the modern world.”

In 1986, its elements fled Iran for Iraq and sided with Saddam Hussein against the Islamic Republic during war throughout most of the decade.

They’ve been responsible for killing thousands of Iranians, “including by bombings in public places and targeted killings,” Tasnim News reported.

While the threat posed by the US to Iran can’t be underestimated, continued Trump regime war by other means is more likely than hot war.

At the same time, what’s unthinkable is possible because of US rage to replace all sovereign independent ruling authorities with pro-Western puppet rule it controls.

*Award-winning author Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. He is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG)

His new book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.”