Qassem Soleimani Threatens US Presence in the Red Sea

Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, threatened that "the Red Sea is no longer safe for the presence of Americans," addressing the President of the United States by stating, "I will stand against you alone." In response to recent remarks by the US President, Soleimani on Thursday, August 4, in a speech in Hamadan, mentioned that "it is not the dignity of our President to respond to Trump" and warned that "the Quds Force is your rival." A few days earlier, Donald Trump tweeted to Hassan Rouhani, warning him never to threaten the US, or else he would face consequences that few countries have experienced throughout history. Trump's comments were a response to Rouhani's warning to the US not to "play with the lion's tail." Soleimani described Trump's statements as "trivial" and with "cabaret language," telling him, "You should have prepared adult diapers for your soldiers." The US has designated the Quds Force as one of the "Foreign Terrorist Organizations" (SDGT), and its commander, Qassem Soleimani, is also under US Treasury sanctions. In his speech, Soleimani mentioned, "There is not a night that we do not sleep without thinking of you" and threatened, "The Red Sea, which was safe, is no longer safe for the presence of Americans." Soleimani's remarks came a day after Houthi rebels in Yemen attacked two oil tankers in Bab al-Mandab, south of the Red Sea. In that attack, two giant Saudi oil tankers were targeted, with one sustaining minor damage. Each of these vessels has a capacity of about 2 million barrels of oil, and according to a statement from the Saudi-led regional coalition, the attack "almost led to an environmental disaster." The verbal war between Iranian and US officials began with Hassan Rouhani's remarks that the war and peace with Iran is "the mother of all wars and the mother of all peace." In response to these comments, Donald Trump issued a stern warning to the Iranian President to be aware of the consequences of his threats against the US. However, a day later, Trump announced his readiness to negotiate for a "real agreement" with Iran. In contrast, Bahram Qasemi, the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, stated on Wednesday that the US government should "forever forget the idea of one-sided negotiations driven by excess and under the shadow of threats." Meanwhile, Reuters reported that John Bolton, the US National Security Advisor, is expected to hold a meeting on Iran at the White House in the coming days. Additionally, Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, stated in a Senate session on Wednesday that US pressures have influenced Iran's behavior over the past five months.