Commander of IRGC Aerospace Force Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh made the remarks at a military gathering in Tehran on Thursday.
Noting that the enemies had launched an extensive propaganda campaign to threaten Iran with war, General Hajizadeh said even the intelligence services of the friendly countries were warning Tehran about a looming military action.
He added that Tehran was mindful that such measures were a trick to force the country to sit down at the negotiating table, adding that the specter of war was removed when the IRGC shot down the American RQ-4 Global Hawk.
“We were confident that if the enemies were to make the first mistake, we would attack their bases and stations around us,” he added.
On June 20, In June, Iran’s IRGC downed a US Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk spy drone after it had violated Iranian airspace. Despite the US claims that the drone had been flying over international waters, Iran said it had retrieved sections of the drone in its own territorial waters where it was shot down.
The intruding drone was shot by Iran’s homegrown air defense missile system “Khordad-3rd”.
US President Donald Trump said afterward that he aborted a military strike to retaliate against Iran’s downing of the US drone because it could have killed 150 people, and signaled he was open to talks with Tehran.
Chief of General Staff of Iranian Armed Force, Major General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, said on Wednesday that the US was on the verge of attacking Iran but called off the plans after Iran downed the intruding drone.
“The US was to take a practical measure [military strike] against us but in the name of a high number of probable victims, it overturned the decision,” he said, adding, “The main reason, however, was Iran’s deterrence power.”
These are the result of the Iranian thought and the commands of the Revolution Leader, he said, noting that despite all problems, Iran enjoys great capabilities in the defense sector and the Iranian nation will not let eruption of another war.
MNA/IRN83457168