Commander of the IRGC: America's Hostility Towards Iran Has Increased

The Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated on Tuesday, September 1, in a press conference that America is still the 'Great Satan' and that its 'hostility' towards the Islamic Republic has not only not decreased but has actually increased. According to Fars News Agency, Mohammad Ali Jafari emphasized that America 'wants to enter with new methods and tools today.' He also mentioned that after the Vienna nuclear agreement, there is a 'concern' that some may think America's hostility towards the Islamic Republic has 'ended or decreased.' He stressed that 'the enemy has turned to soft political and economic threats, and the response to these types of threats after the agreement will be more explicitly revolutionary positions taken by the officials of the Islamic Republic.' Less than a week ago, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, also stated in a meeting with government officials that America's 'hostility' towards the Islamic Republic has not decreased and that Americans are 'seeking to infiltrate' Iran. Khamenei reiterated on Saturday, July 18, that the nuclear agreement will not change Iran's policy towards America 'in any case' and that the two countries will not negotiate 'bilaterally' or 'regionally' on various global issues. Meanwhile, Mohammad Yazdi, the head of the Assembly of Experts, stated on Tuesday: 'I must tell America that the dream you have of making Iran a consumer market and a source of income for you will be buried with you.' He added: 'If negotiations on the nuclear issue have taken place with them, it has nothing to do with bilateral relations, and relations cannot be easily established.' In another part of his speech, the IRGC commander stated that this organization will support what he called the 'Islamic Resistance Front' in countering 'proxy wars' and that 'this program will continue until the final defeat of the enemy.' He named Syria as the 'front line of the resistance' and added that 'comprehensive support for the resistance in Syria is our revolutionary and Islamic duty.' This comes as Ali Akbar Velayati, the international advisor to the Supreme Leader, also stated on Sunday, August 16, that Iran will have 'greater capacity' to support its 'friends in the region' after the Vienna nuclear agreement and that the 'resistance axis' in the region will be strengthened. He reiterated on September 1 that the Islamic Republic of Iran will support Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria, 'to the end.' Iran refers to groups like Hezbollah and Hamas and other Palestinian groups opposed to Middle East peace, as well as the Syrian government, as the 'resistance front' against Israel. Previously, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Saturday, July 18, mentioned Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, Palestine, Lebanon, and Iraq, stating that the Islamic Republic will not cease support for its 'friends' in the region after the Vienna nuclear agreement. The statements from Iranian officials come as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed concern earlier in August that the funds released to Iran from the Vienna nuclear agreement have already led to 'celebrations by Bashar al-Assad and Hassan Nasrallah.' Meanwhile, Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi Foreign Minister, had previously advised the Islamic Republic to use the economic benefits from the nuclear agreement for its own people and not for what he called 'adventurism in the region.'