The commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's navy, Ali Reza Tangsiri, stated today, Thursday, that abandoning the plan for "retribution" for the killing of former Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani in exchange for lifting sanctions is a "false illusion."
Tangsiri added during a naval forces iftar meal that "the enemy continuously sends messages indicating that if you stop avenging Soleimani's killing, we will make some concessions and lift some sanctions, but this is a false illusion."
He continued: "Both Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Iranian Supreme Leader, and the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard emphasize that retribution is inevitable, but we will determine the place," according to Iranian media reports.
Media reports last month, citing sources familiar with the Vienna talks, indicated that Iran's commitment to suspend pursuing the assassination of Qassem Soleimani was a key condition for removing the Iranian Revolutionary Guard from the U.S. government's list of terrorist organizations.
Earlier this month, the commander of the Revolutionary Guard's ground forces stated that "the blood of Haj Qassem is very precious, and killing all U.S. leaders is not enough for vengeance, so we must take revenge in another way," affirming that "there is now an equation that the enemies acknowledge and are well aware that breaching it means receiving a severe blow," according to Tasnim news agency. The agency also reported that U.S. intelligence has detailed information regarding Tehran's plans to take action against some former U.S. administration officials accused of involvement in Soleimani's assassination, making it unlikely that Washington would approve Iran's request under such circumstances.
The Associated Press reported in March that it obtained documents showing that the U.S. government spends "two million dollars" a month on the protection of former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former U.S. special envoy for Iran, Brian Hook, around the clock.
Earlier this month, the U.S. State Department stated that Washington, in cooperation with its partners and allies, would use all appropriate means to confront the "threat" posed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
It added: "Despite significant disagreement over U.S. policy toward Iran, there is a complete consensus on the need to address these threats. The United States will protect all its citizens, including former and current officials who face threats from Iran."
Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, former deputy commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces, were killed in a U.S. drone strike near Baghdad Airport on January 3, 2020, amid political and military tensions between Iran and the United States.
