News- Middle East: Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi, deputy commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), says Iran is not afraid of its enemies and will not submit to US domination, responding to threats made by US President Donald Trump.

"We are students of the school of martyrs and we do not fear the enemy," Vahidi told a gathering of veterans of the 1980s Iraqi war on Iran in the southeastern city of Kerman on Tuesday.  

His remarks came after Trump threatened Iran in a social media post, claiming the US was "locked and loaded" to attack Iran. The threat was strongly condemned by Tehran as Iranian officials warned US against any "adventurism."

"Nations have come to understand that they must be independent and refuse to submit to America’s domination," Vahidi added. 

He noted that Washington is in a "downward slope of decline," adding that the tools it once used to dominate the world have lost their effectiveness. "It is forced to pursue its goals through force, war, terror, and theft." 

He added that actions such as kidnapping the president of a country or assassinating Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani do not demonstrate strength but rather reflect “the height of humiliation and signs of collapse."

He was referring to the US kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday, during which he and his wife were flown out of Venezuela after a military aggression and transported to New York City to face unsubstantiated drug trafficking charges.

General Soleimani, the former commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force, was assassinated in a US drone strike in Baghdad in January 2020.

Vahidi highlighted the status of General Soleimani, saying he was not merely an individual but, as described by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, a “school of thought” and an ongoing movement that remains alive and influential.

He noted that Daesh was created by Iran’s adversaries but was ultimately defeated by General Soleimani, who was a master at resolving complex challenges through leadership, reliance on God, and rational decision-making.

Iran’s enemies believed the assassination of General Soleimani would weaken the country, but instead, the Iranian nation has grown stronger and Soleimani’s influence is now greater than before, Vahidi said. 

IRGC deputy commander added that Iran’s perseverance would ensure that the future belongs to Islam and the Iranian nation.

Source: Press TV