by Mansoureh Tajik for the Saker Blog

Intermittently and in between cries of discontent within Western cities, wailings of grief while burying blown-up pieces of flesh that belong to innocent adolescent school girls in Afghan cities, long sighs of exhaustion by mothers holding in their arms severely malnourished children with shrapnel-induced wound marks on their bodies in Yemeni cities, melodious roars of intifada heard for many corners in the Occupied Palestine, when there is a millisecond of respite, stillness, and calm, one can clearly hear, if one is not willfully deaf, the death rattles of the Istikbaar_e Jahaani, the ultimate Global Arrogance and one its appendages, the Zionist regime.

Here are a few questions before those who opened a special account on the malleability of human perception. They were so self-assured of their ingenuity that forgot to remember there is something called hard facts and objective reality. Everything cannot be twisted into seeming like something else in perpetuity. Here are the questions: If a tree falls in a forest or a building collapses in Tel Aviv and Tweeter is turned off, do they make any sounds? If Eilat–Ashkelon oil Pipeline explodes and YouTube images are erased, does it shoot up any smokes? If a large power station in Ashkelon goes up in flames and the media block the reports, does it generate any heat? If hundreds of cheap rockets are fired to preoccupy an “impenetrable” dome of irony, to get only a few Ayyash missiles hit exactly where they must and the Zionists’ “qualitative military edge” starts shaking and there is no seismic scale with which to measure the magnitude, does it still vibrate?

To what extent did the Global Arrogance and its malignant xenotransplant imagine they could operate with immunity? Even tiny bacteria learn to adapt and acquire resistance to return with vengeance. Hard reality and facts on the ground violently unhinge the doors of false perception regardless of the creativity of one’s propaganda and strength of one’s censorship.

Important transformations and developments begin to become transparent quite soon. Much sooner than what people might imagine. Therefore, it would be informative for the readers of this blog to gain some background information and deeper understanding of one of the key players in these transformations: the Quds Force, its strategy, and its progress over the past four decades.

Last Friday in Ramadan was the Quds Day. It is the day that was designated as such by Imam Khomeini (May God rest and bless his soul) on Mordad 16, 1358 [August 7, 1979] as a global movement against the Global Arrogance of our time to liberate Al-Quds. The statement was directed at Muslims around the globe and came right after an aerial bombardment of Southern Lebanon by the Israeli forces back when Southern Lebanon was once occupied by Israel. Imam Khomeini’s short declaration[1] was quite simple and to the point:

“Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim, “In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Over the years, I have alerted the Muslims of the dangers posed by the transgressor Israel. These days, this entity has intensified its savage attacks against our Palestinian brothers and sisters, especially in Southern Lebanon, in order to annihilate the Palestinians. It relentlessly bombs their homes and lands.

I invite all Muslims of the world and the Islamic governments to join together to cut off the hands of this aggressor and its sponsors. I invite all Muslims of the world to choose the last Friday in the Holy month of Ramadan, which is also part of Al-Qadr Nights [Nights of Power] that could determine the fate of the Palestinian people, as the Quds Day. On this day, [Muslims] could hold conventions through which they could announce the Muslims’ international alliance in defense of legal rights of Muslim people. I ask God Almighty to grant victory to Muslims over the companions of unbelievers.

Wasalaamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh,

Ruhullah Mousavi Khomeini”

That designation was only the beginning of a long journey to bring the Global Arrogance to its knees, Insha’Allah. Around the time of that declaration, the prototype of the Quds Force had already been formed within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, albeit informally as a core group within an organized larger unit.

Last week, there was a broadcast interview with Major General Hossein Salami, the Commander in Chief of the IRGC, aired from a main Iranian TV channel. The interview lasted only 40 minutes but contained volumes of very important background and foreground information. It also contained very pointed messages to those inside Iran, in the region, and beyond. I have transcribed and translated major segments of the interview (except for some introductory remarks by the interviewer) for you and would like to insert it in this essay.

Regarding the Quds Force and the Resistance:

Interviewer: “About Quds Force and its achievements during and after Sardar Soleimani in reference to Ayatullah Khamenei’s speech for the Day of Quds?”

Sardar Salami: “There is one reality: in the strategy of our enemies, the geography of the world of Islam and Western Asia – what they call it Middle East— in their strategic logic, this region is perceived as a monolithic region. That is, they perceive it as a homogeneous region. Based on their perspective, this region is the launching pad for any power that aspires to be a global power. It means, if anyone wishes to obtain a higher latitude of world power, it must be in control of the Middle East.”

“The policies of our enemies to bring in line the political and security changes in the region favorable to their own political and security interests was this: Attack the political units and countries of the region one at a time. Separate them from one another and attack each isolated and separate unit to bring that unit into submission. Then, move on to the next unit. That meant, defeating atomized political and security pieces one at a time, especially those pieces that did not meet the [US] American standards. Put in other words, a step-ladder approach in capturing the Islamic lands and implanting [US] American policies in that land.”

“Attack Syria, for example, to break Syria. Then, go to Lebanon and defeat Hizbullah there. Then, conduct operations in Iraq and from Iraq, transport things to another point. And the finale for this work, that is, the final destination of all these operations was supposed to be the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

“Well, if they could have actualized this policy, it they could have attacked every independent unit separately and if they could have focused their forces in one decided point, and if they could have brought that point into submission and if they could have then moved onto the next point and the next point, then this dangerous strategy could have brought them closer to victory.”

“But what the Quds Force did was this: it linked together these divergent and separate nodes in the world of Islam…”

Interviewer: “…like a string in a rosary.”

Sardar Salami: “Excellent, yes. These independent pieces that were not linked together, it brought them into one uniform and interlinked defense structure. It created a strong ‘war forehead’. It did not allow enemy’s power to gain focus and be able to zoom in on one point. Rather, it forced the enemy power to spread over a vast area and made it into fragments. That meant, every place that the enemy went, it came face to face with a power structure that had already been firmly established there before. This fragmentation of enemy power led to thinning and weakening of the enemy’s power per area and created a war of attrition against the enemy.”

“This was quite natural. One could not bring down the power of the [US] America in one go and destroy it all at once and in one place. Destruction of a great power is difficult. That is, to create a declining slope in the power curve of a power like the [US] America, which was from the perspective of physical, political, and economic power, and military power, in all dimensions of power, based on apparent calculations, a rare imperial power in human history, to reduce this power and to wear it down, to hollow it from within, and to annihilate it, and to force it to divide along the points over a vast area, this was a great work of art. It is a work of art that a force, when it does not have a design of a classic and organized power in par with the enemies’ aggressive power and operations, to produce power.”

“See, the work of art in the Quds Force is this. It may not have been openly expressed before this. This work of art is the art of defeating the [US] American strategy and its power. All of them together. The Quds Force did this and continues in that path. It meant an emergence, a resurrection of power in front of a powerful enemy.”

“Thus, it was able to build power in Lebanon. In Palestine, it began to create a warm and burning power. That is, to arm the Palestinians; nay, to make them self-sufficient in producing power themselves. In fact, in every corner and at every point, Quds Force built a self-generating power source. We were not transferring power from here to there. Rarely is it possible to transfer arms due to an all-encompassing obstacles, limitations, and costs. The power needed to be produced within those very lands. That meant to make power indigenous and ever-flowing right there within that land.”

“It built power springs. Power springs in Yemen, in Lebanon, and in different places. In some places, it established organized power structures. It linked together inspirations and motivations generated from across the Islamic world. In truth, the power arrangement that it established was a new form of power which the [US] Americans and others were not capable of identifying and opposing it at the time. This power had its own unique longitude and latitude.”

“The Quds Force brought the policies of the enemies into a halt. It locked it. It made it costly. It made it barren. It dispersed it. It destroyed their focus. In reverse, it made the enemy the focal point of the network. It created a balance. It prevented the dismantling of structures. It preserved the unity of countries. That means, it built new equations. This was the work of the Quds Force. These are real and tangible images before our eyes and our reasoning. Based on these images, we are now able to reveal a few facts.”

“Therefore, the Quds Force stretched the dimensions and breadth of power. Strategy is a mental concept. It is a plan of action in the minds of politicians. This strategy, if it is not operationalized, it remains deficient. It has no value. Sardar Soleimani and the Quds Force created a fissure between the operations and the strategy for the enemy. That is, it did not allow different pieces of the enemy’s strategy to be operationalized in the field. And when you defeat the enemy in the field, this is not limited to a defeat of just a military force. The military force is always a particular facade of a political move. When a military power moves, it is a continuation of given politics. The action is military; and it is a tactic; it is an operation. But the essence, the goal is always political. It is security. It is economics. Therefore, when the Quds Force defeats the enemy in the field, it means in the arenas of politics and economics and security, the enemy is defeated.”

Interviewer: “We are getting close ot the Quds Day. We are witnessing some events within the Zionist regime’s entity. Various forms of protests and these phenomena that are taking shape within it but we do not see much of change in the actual policies the Zionist Regime. In terms of threats and terror, again someone from within the regime has threatened Iran that we do this and that. We will attack. With respect to Palestinians, too, the same plans and the same attitude are taking shape. What is your analysis for now and for the future of this regime?”

Sardar Salami: “In one word, the bubble of Israel national security burst. The Israelis, too, are trapped in that very same decaying phenomenon. The same one that I mentioned. That means, they are truly experiencing their demise. They are face-to-face with their political sunset. Incidentally, this time around, there are indications that the collapse of the Zionist regime is occurring from within. The wearing out to which I alluded is evident in all pillars of the regime. In the economic sunset, in the disintegration of the social cohesion, in its political impotence and political chaos. You can see every Saturday, there is public protest is taking place within the Zionist regime. You can see that so far four elections have been done to elect the prime minister and they could not and they are probably heading to the 5th election. There are many other subjects.

Interviewer: “Regarding the security issues you referenced was truly shocking. A lot of people could not imagine this.”

Sardar Salami: “Yes. Let me explain. The Zionists, in order to pull a cover over all of these internal weaknesses which is causing an implosion, shake up, and collapse of the regime from within, they tried, in the past year and a half, to show an appearance of authority and control. That is, like a balloon, they pumped more air into themselves. They tried to increase the breath of their mischief, however miniscule and deceitful. This is while they possess significant vulnerabilities. For how long? Until a few weeks ago.”

“Approximately a month or so ago, all of Zionist regime’s vulnerabilities were exposed. It was demonstrated that commercial navigation and shipping of the Zionist regime in every part of the globe is vulnerable. Ninety percent of the commerce and goods exchange occurs through the sea water because it does not have any land borders. Before this, no one could imagine that the Zionist regime has such huge and significant vulnerabilities in maritime commerce. Very simply, it is possible to create serious harm in Zionist regime’s maritime commerce. This is one issue.”

“They thought, that is they wished, to portray that the security system of the regime is invulnerable. When that severe explosion with that huge mushroom as a result of an explosion similar to a nuclear explosion occurred in the air defense engine factory and the factory that was manufacturing the Zionist regime’s satellites, all of a sudden it seemed as if this air-filled balloon, with the push of a needle, deflated in its entirety. That means, it was shown how vulnerable this regime is.”

But they were just starts to a domino. After that, in Haifa, a large refinery exploded that led to the leakages from ammonia tanks. They announced that 80 of their firms had been the subject of cyber-attacks. Near Ben-Gurion Airport another explosion occurred. Their spies in Iraq in Erbil were killed. Please pay strict attention. In [—–] an explosion occurred. That particular missile hit near Dimona. That attack demonstrated that so many diverse layers of anti-missile defense established in the Zionist regime, from David’s Sling to Patriot defense system to Iron Dome …”

Interviewer: “It turned into Paper Dome.”

Sardar Salami: “Yes. None of them [the layers of security] had worked. This is while that missile was moving along the long axis of that territory. That means there was ample opportunity and great distance for the missile to be taken care of by the Zionist regime’s air defense system. Their behavior was rather comical. See, the Israeli regime’s entity is a narrow band. In some places, its width is 14 kilometers. For this regime, the first real strike is the last strike. The greatest weakness of the Zionist regime is that any tactical operation against them can become a strategic defeat for them. That is, one could, with one operation, annihilate this regime.”

“Very well then. The curtain was removed from all these vulnerabilities and weaknesses. And if the news of these events were not being recorded by cameras and were not being published [by others], the Zionist officials would have never published the news about these events. It was rather funny that when that plant for the manufacturing of missiles and satellites exploded, they said they were conducting tests there. Well, this is quite humorous. Which country on earth performs explosion tests inside a manufacturing plant?!”

Interviewer: “And one that could produce that huge mushroom cloud.”

Sardar Salami: “With that magnitude and enormity. The wave of power and authority they wished to portray collapsed all at once. As I stated, the security bubble of the Zionist regime burst. The bulk they had built with psychological operations disappeared. Today, you can see the Zionist regime’s true scale to some extent. But it is even smaller than this.”

Interviewer: “And this could be only the beginning.”

Sardar Salami: “Yes. These events are repeatable. When something happens 10 times, it could occur an 11th times. A regime cannot keep on producing only evil, harm, and wickedness. Could it just generate misery and calamity? It cannot. Therefore, they needed to be shown how weak they are. The [US] Americans have no formula to solve this regime’s problems either.”

“Put all these next to the protests and uprisings within the Zionist regime itself and the Palestinians’ protests, add to it a dysfunctional government that cannot, even within their own political system, form a government, and internal contradictions within them between the Hasidic Jews and the seculars, all these have created an unpleasant and fragile atmosphere for them. So, they need to be quite mindful of their behavior from this point forward. They must adjust their behavior in accordance with the reality. The greatest defeat of the unwise leaders of Satanic systems like the [US] America and Israel is in this fact that they are incapable of conducting a realistic, correct, and precise assessment of the environment and the scene.”

Interviewer: “Recently, General Frank MacKenzie, the commander of the CENTCOM Terrorists has expressed concerns about our drones. What new developments have occurred in with our drone technology that is causing them so much concern?”

Sardar Salami: “I could say the assessment made by this [US] American commander is correct and precise. Maybe if they have uttered one truthful statement, this is it. They understand this power correctly. In a wrestling match, the competition understands the power of his rival better than the guy himself. That is, the pressure that someone exacts upon his opponent, that rival feels the pain of these pressure better. So, our power is understood much better by our enemy. This is the reality. In the area of drones, new and significant progress has been made.”

“Our drone power competes with all advance drones in the world in terms of height and power of ascension. Today, they have replaced manned aerial vehicles, in terms of range and their offensive power. These can now function as bombers and are no longer just for reconnaissance and surveillance. Also, they are self-destructive and can be used as explosives. They function like a missile but their most distinguishing features include two things: precision and range. Their precision is such that it hits any point in part of a building that you wish to hit. Or, a floating vessel, any point of that vessel that you wish to hit, it hits. If you wish it to hit the heel, it hits the heel. If you wish it to hit the commander bridge, it will hit the commander bridge. That means the precision has improved so much that you can hit tiny targets with precision within a precision target.”

Sardar Salami: “Let me first attend to a reality. We are now facing a new political phenomenon in the entire globe and in the region. This new phenomenon is the backbone of the transformation that will occur from this point forward. And that is a progressive annihilation and dimming of major powers from outside the region and those within the region. That is, the political and security structure of power that has been in opposition to sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic Resistance Front is in the process of being dismantled. It means, that continuity that existed in a coalition among several fronts in the devil and arrogant powers in the world we used to see, this continuity is in the process of fracturing and dismantling.”

“If we want to state this more clearly, today, these powers that one day were tightly standing alongside one another hand in hand so that they could transform the security and political image of the Western Asia and the world of Islam, they are now separating from one another. They are not able to help and assist one another. They are now diverging from one another. They are no longer investing in one another. And now you are facing multiple identities divorced from one another in a manner that each is acting solely in its own narrow interest and that very cohesive structural unity that we used to witness before is no longer observed today.”

“For example, you could imagine that the Saudis today are experiencing defeat in their combat with Yemeni warriors and [US] America cannot help them in any way. This means, today, the [US] America cannot conduct any effective operation to save Saudi Arabia from a decisive defeat,. The [US] America itself cannot make any direct and/or indirect moves. You could clearly see it [US] has been pushed to the periphery of the regional changes and it is forced to leave the region one step at a time. Today, you see segments of its forces existing from Afghanistan. This process is imposed on it by the will of nations whose lands had long been occupied by the [US].”

“Similar event is occurring in Iraq. The [US] Americans both under a political pressure of a public opinion and military pressure of the Resistance groups who are Iraqi and have absolutely no desire to let the [US] Americans stay in any parts of Iraqi geographic scene. They are working hard to expel the [US] Americans out of the region. As well today, you are witnessing the fragility and vulnerability of the national security system in Israel but the [US] Americans cannot provide any help to the Zionist regime and prevent these series of sustained and sequential destabilizing and counter-security operations against them.”

“In a very fundamental way, in the current political arrangement of the region, we are witnessing an erosion, a weathering, and an exhaustion in powers that previously operated with strength but today no political novelty and freshness is observable in their foreign policy. Their foreign policy is not viable nor is it effective. Consequently, their overall national security policies are ineffective and dysfunctional.”

“The region is therefore faced with these conditions. If you take a look at scene in Yemen, you could see, in a vivid and real way, that the balance of power is changing in favor of the Yemenis and the Saudis are under sustained hits. None of the air and missile defense systems of the Saudis, all of which are [US] Americans and are supposed to be made up of the most modern equipment, are capable of preventing and defense against missile and drone operations by Yemenis.”

“The United Arab Emirate, too, is worried about the Yemenis. That is, if the Yemeni engines are fired up against the Emirates, the exact scenario that has occurred for the Saudis will occur for the Emiratis. In Syria, you are seeing a political balance established and it is heading to an election on the 7th of Khordad [June 28th] in order to elect a new president. That means, a political balance and stability are already in place. The Resistance camp in Syria did not face attrition.”

“In Iraq, a political and geographic continuity and homogeneity is being established and in fact the Resistance movements in Iraq are operating actively. The global expectation was that after the martyrdom of the Sardar of Resistance, Major General Martyr Soleimani, a free fall in security conditions of the region was highly probable and the Resistance Front would be shaken up and fractured. On the contrary, in Lebanon, in Syria, in Iraq, in Yemen, and in Afghanistan, we are witnessing the Shajareh-ye Tayyibah, the Purified Tree, of Islam is responding.”

“This region is weakening the security presence of the [US] America and is dismantling it. This region is proving that you cannot implant into it foreign forces. That means, any foreign force from outside of the region, from the perspective of the people of this region, is a foreign object and sooner or later, it must, while paying a heavy price and without obtaining any positive outcome, be ejected from the region. That means, the conditions demonstrate that this Islamic Awakening, these flames of awareness in the hearts and minds of the Muslim youth are lit, these torches of awareness have transformed into the spirit of jihad. And the Islamic lands have transformed into the lands of jihad against the aggressors. Thus, overall physical power and its estimations and calculations are no longer able to command and control the conditions of this region. This is the fate that is a fact today and the future is decidedly more so.”

“Today, when you observe the enemy with low energy and diminished vigor, that is, when you observe the clinical signs of a power that you used to witness a few years back, you do not see what once was. These are signs that show this power is worn out. It is tired. It has become old. It has decayed. The enemies themselves are admitting this as well. It extends to all dimensions of their power. From the perspective of psychology and mindset, from the physical standpoint, from an economic standpoint, from a political standpoint, all these pieces of power are afflicted with an autumn-like decay. We are witnessing the autumn of our enemies’ power and they are all influenced by this wearing-out phenomenon.”

“We and those who are aligned with us have built a powerful and effective coalition of influence and impact. They are all ready, invigorated, and inspired to continue the movement. Right now, it is this difference, this contrast that is shaping our region.”

Interviewer: “Perhaps that is why every time there is talk of negotiation, one of the three components for discussion is Iran’s presence and influence in the region.”

Sardar Salami: “Yes. It certainly is. Because they could have presence and influence only under the condition that there is a power vacuum. Two opposite powers cannot congregate in one geographic region. When we are there, they are not there. And when we are not there, they are there. But our influence is not a physical influence and presence. Our influence is the influence of ideals. It is the influence of our logic.”

Interviewer: “In accordance with those ‘springs of power’ that you mentioned.”

Sardar Salami: “Excellent. Yes. It is the influence of our credit and trustworthiness. It is the influence of our belief. This influence is in fact an ideological influence and influence of beliefs. This, the enemy does not have. The enemy cannot live and exist where it is fundamentally hated and abhorred. It is forced to leave. They hit it. And enemy that does not belong to a land, that has no place in the beliefs and faith of a land, this enemy cannot live on. And keeps on investing and paying the price and ends up having to eventually leave the region. And this, you can see. It has happened. Now, you can calculate what the gains of nearly twenty years of investment in political, military, and economic costs for the [US] America in this region…”

Interviewer: “…that now is leaving Afghanistan.”

Sardar Salami: “…It is now leaving without real achievements. As I said, it is like a tree without any roots, a tree that is suitable for another land, you bring and transplant it here assuming that it could take roots. After a while, it dries up. That is how it is.”

In the latest report published by the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence (April 9, 2021), four countries are listed (again) as top threat to US interest: China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. As part of its assessment of Iran, report states:

“Iran’s diverse military capabilities and its hybrid approach to warfare—using both conventional and unconventional capabilities—will continue to pose a threat to US and allied interests in the region for the foreseeable future.”[3]

The solution is a no brainer and rather simple: Leave while you can.

References:

[1] Imam Khomeini (1358). “Al-Quds Day”. Sahifeh Imam, Vol. 9, Page 267.

[2] Special News Dialogue: Latest Regional Developments and Defense Capabilities. An interview with Sardar Salami, Commander in Chief of IRGC. IRIB Channel 2, Wednesday, 15/2/1400 [May 5, 2021] @ 22:35. Original video (in Farsi) available online at: https://www.telewebion.com/episode/2567788

[3] United States Office of the Director of National Intelligence (April 9, 2021). “Annual Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community.” Accessed online at: https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/ATA-2021-Unclassified-Report.pdf