Brig. Gen. Esmail Ghaani was addressing a ceremony to pay tribute to IRGC former general Hossein Hamadani in Tehran and his contribution to the ongoing battle in Syria.
Ghaani is a figure whom the media has had a low profile about compared to Maj. Gen. Ghassem Soleimani, his senior in the ranks of IRGC Quds Force. He famously remembered that early in 2013 during Syrian war, terrorists would approached well into Iran’s embassy should contribution of commanders like Hamadani fail to provide effective aid in the forefronts.
“Syrian war is now in critical juncture where there is an existential battle for any side engaged in the war; however, we will continue the fight against terrorists to the end,” he told the meeting.
Quds Force deputy-commander believed that the US engaged in more diplomatic dynamism whenever Assad forces and Syrian friends gained an upper-hand in the fight; “they would shun the negotiations whenever their proxies take a stronghold or score a success in the battle; US has been defeated in three key battlegrounds: in Iraq, Afghanistan, and now they are being defeated in Syria,” he asserted.
“In Afghanistan, they squandered $ 3 trillion, with Trump campaign gave drastic figures as $ 5 or 6 trillions,” said the general.
“The US has sent envoys to us to inform us of their then imminent withdrawal from Iraq; their withdrawal from Afghanistan was rather clandestine, where each boot on the grounds costed $ 1 million annually.”
"US supported and armed the terrorist Takfiris to use them as their proxies after the Arab Spring of 2011 swept the much of the North Africa and the Middle East,” he told the ceremony.
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