The commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said his country will take a “crushing, decisive, and destructive response” to any nation that targets it as the U.S. ramps up airstrikes on Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen.
“Iran will never be the one to start a war, but should we face a threat, our response will be firm, decisive, and conclusive,” Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami said Sunday in a televised speech, according to the Tehran Times.
“We are fully prepared to safeguard our interests, values, identity, and legitimacy. Any threat against Iran will be met with a crushing, decisive, and destructive response.”
Salami’s comments came a day after President Donald Trump said the U.S. launched a “decisive and powerful military action” to end the Houthi threat to Red Sea shipping and warned that Iran’s support for the terror group “must end immediately.”
Salami said Iran takes full responsibility for its actions and will “overtly” acknowledge them when necessary.
“If we attack anywhere or support anybody, we will unequivocally announce it,” Salami said, according to Newsweek. But he said Iran does not dictate the policies of the Houthis, and that the Houthis make their own strategic decisions.”