Iranian Commander Hails Revolution Guards Corps as 'Most Powerful' Force in Region
Mehr News Agency WWW-Text
Monday, March 6, 2006
TEHRAN, Mar. 6 (MNA) Not only is Iran the heart of the Middle East/Caucasus region but it is also the strategic center of the world, the commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, Brigadier General Yahya Rahim Safavi, said on Monday.
Speaking at a gathering of officials from the Supreme Leaders representative offices in the IRGC, he stated that the IRGC is currently the most powerful military force in the Middle East.
At this juncture, we are in an extraordinarily sensitive, complicated, and fateful situation.
The enemies of Islam, at the head of which are the United States and some European countries, are determined to put political pressure on the Islamic Republic. Therefore, we have to prepare the country and people to face the threats of the enemies of Islam, he noted, referring to the pressures put on Iran by the West over its nuclear program.
Identification of the enemy is necessary in order to thwart domestic and foreign political plots and to promote the capability of the country to face the threats, he added.
(Description of Source: Tehran Mehr News Agency WWW-Text in English -- Launched on 22 June 2003, its managing director Parviz Esma'ili stated that the news agency primarily aims at promoting the Islamic culture.)