Basij Commander: US Unable to Wage New War in Region


Basij Commander: US Unable to Wage New War in Region

TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Commander of the Iranian (Basij) voluntary forces said Monday that the US is not capable of waging another war in the region, and lambasted Washington for nurturing terrorists.

The US and a few other countries that are beating the war drums against Syria are not able to enter a serious war, because they have neither the economic strength for a new war, nor the required military spirit for that purpose, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi said.

He condemned the terrorist attacks in Syria and said, “The terrorists are nurtured by the Americans and the US and Israel are the main culprits in all these crimes."

He held the US and the Zionist regime responsible for the crimes committed by the terrorists, saying, “ On the face of it, it seems those who plant bombs are Wahhabies-- at least in the name-- but the truth is that the terrorists are aided and managed by the Americans and the Israelis.”

On Sunday, too, a senior Iranian commander cautioned the White House against military intervention in Syria, saying that it would bring about harsh consequences for the US.

“The US is aware of the limit of red line in the Syrian front, and any crossing of the Syrian red line will have severe consequences for the White House,” Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Masoud Jazayeri said on Sunday.

In relevant remarks on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Abbas Araqchi warned against further tension in the region, and stressed that crisis in Syria has no military solution.

"Iran has on many occasions announced that crisis in Syria has no military solution,” he told Tasnim at the time.

Earlier media reports said that the Pentagon is making “initial preparations” for a missile attack on Syrian government forces.

US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel suggested Friday naval forces are moving in position closer to Syria in case Obama chooses military action.

Meanwhile, the American public shows no willingness to get involved in another costly conflict in the Middle East.

Only 9 percent of those surveyed believed President Barack Obama should take action on Syria, while some 60 percent of Americans said the United States should not intervene in Syria's bloody civil war.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll, taken August 19-23, found that 25 percent of Americans would back intervention if it is proven that the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad used chemical weapons against civilians, while almost double that number – 46 percent – would still oppose such a move.

That represented a decline in backing for US action since August 13, when the same poll found that 30.2 percent of Americans supported intervention in Syria if chemicals had been used, while 41.6 percent did not.

 

 

 

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