Navy Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi made some volatile remarks in a meeting with Oman's Assistant Chief of Staff Brigadier General Rashid bin Saif al-Shidi in Iran's capital city on Tuesday.
Fadavi criticized the U.S. for withdrawing from Iraq and the method in which the U.S. departed. Furthermore, the Admiral lambasted the U.S.' future departure from Afghanistan and gave a veiled warning to other countries so they may not experience the same outcome as Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Countries in the region and the world no longer regard the United States' role as influential," Fadavi said at the meeting. "The Americans, given the non-realization of their goals in Iraq and the mutually agreed plan for the withdrawal, actually fled the country in ignominy."
He added, "The situation of the United States in Afghanistan will be worse than Iraq, and the U.S. departure from Afghanistan is a certainty. However, before their departure, they have wreaked havoc. And vigilance should be exercised so that other countries will not" experience a similar ending as Iraq and Afghanistan.
Fadavi has been making headlines of late with such strong statements and has even expressed condemnation over the recent meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, of Iran's own oil-rich neighbors - the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
"Interaction and cooperation among regional countries is the only factor that can set an appropriate precedent. There are certain countries in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz regions that are making malicious moves against their own interests and (the interests) of Muslims," Fadavi said.
The Iranian Commander also added a warning to the U.S., saying Iran was keeping an eye on the moves of the U.S. and U.S. allies. "The Islamic Republic of Iran is closely and comprehensively monitoring the moves of the countries that are taking steps toward serving the interests of the United States and is keeping a close watch on their military and non-military vessels," Fadavi said.
Even as recent as the end of April, Fadavi made strong statements slamming the U.S. military force again - but this time the Admiral was claiming that Iran's military was capable of going up against the U.S.
At the University of Yazd, Admiral Fadavi was speaking to students when he said, "The power of our naval forces is such that we have a presence in all the waters of the world and, if needed, we can move to within three miles of New York."
And on Friday, Iranian Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh said Iran's military "is also capable of crippling or disabling U.S. aircraft carriers."
Undoubtedly, these sorts of statements from Iranian military leaders have become a focus of U.S. foreign policy as Iran has also made aggressive statements over military action with Israel.
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