Oil industry plays key role in national power equation

Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi made the remarks in Tehran on Sunday, at a ceremony honoring those who served the country’s oil and refining industries during the US-Israeli-imposed wars.

Referring to the ‘12-Day War’ and ‘40-Day Ramadan War,’ he said the enemy, through aggression — instigated by Zionists and their leader Benjamin Netanyahu himself — sought to gain control over Iran’s energy resources and the Persian Gulf, as well as to regain its lost hegemony.

General Rahim-Safavi pointed to Iran’s strategic importance to the West, and recalled a remark by former US President Eisenhower, who in his inaugural address had described Iran as the most important country on the map because of its oil and its location at the crossroads of the world.

Advising the current American leadership to go through Iran’s history, he further quoted Eisenhower’s argument about Iran’s civilizational background and its potential to become a military power once the country reverts to its distant past.

Had the current, imprudent US President read these words, he would have understood whom he was dealing with and could realize Iran’s invincibility, the Leader’s aide stressed, adding that Iran boasts a civilization spanning several millennia, unlike the US with 250 years of history.

Stating that Iran possesses a brave nation — comprising courageous men and women — and enjoys a unique geographical location, he said the country’s energy is also a source of power, a tool of leverage, and a key indicator of resilience and victory.

General Rahim-Safavi explained further, saying Trump had on numerous occasions stated [that the US] possessed 60 percent of the world’s oil resources, and therefore sought to replicate the Venezuela model in Iran but failed in his imposed war calculations and assessments.

He continued hailing the Ministry of Petroleum’s great epics, following the victory of the Islamic Revolution, through 8 years of Sacred Defense — specifically breaking the siege of Abadan, safeguarding the refinery, and providing logistical support throughout the war.

Oil plays a pivotal role in Iran’s destiny, and today, a significant portion of the Sacred Defense and the power equation is determined not only by the presence of our women, men, and youth in the cities but also within the oil fields, General Rahim-Safavi emphasized.

MNA/IRN