Repeated Emphasis by Iranian Officials on the 'Destruction' of Israel

A senior cleric in the Iranian government once again threatened that Tel Aviv could be destroyed. Simultaneously, a senior commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spoke on Thursday, October 11, about Iran's 'steadfastness alongside Hezbollah' until the destruction of Israel. The IRGC commander also emphasized that Iran 'will never hesitate to respond outside its borders if it is threatened.' According to the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA), Ahmad Khatami, the temporary Friday prayer leader of Tehran and a member of the Assembly of Experts, said on Thursday: 'If America makes a misstep and pits (Saudi) Arabia against us, it should know that Tel Aviv will be leveled to the ground.' Ahmad Khatami, in a speech in Bojnurd, also defended Iran's long-range missiles, stating: 'The backing of our steadfastness and what has strengthened our fist are these missiles.' Meanwhile, Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the IRGC, emphasized that the IRGC 'will stand firm and resolutely until the collapse of the nefarious Zionist regime and the complete eradication of this germ of crime and malice.' The Islamic Republic of Iran does not recognize the existence of Israel and has referred to Israel with such statements since its inception. According to the Tasnim News Agency, close to the IRGC, Mohammad Ali Jafari promised the 'brothers of the IRGC' to stand alongside Hezbollah forces until the destruction of Israel in a letter to Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, on the occasion of the death of Imad Mughniyeh's mother. In his letter, the IRGC commander expressed confidence that 'surely, we have become closer and closer to (the complete eradication of Israel).' Several other political leaders and military commanders of the Islamic Republic have recently expressed their condolences to Hassan Nasrallah over the death of Amneh Salameh, Imad Mughniyeh's mother. Imad Mughniyeh, the military commander of Hezbollah, was killed on February 12, 2008, in an explosion in Damascus, having been pursued by the U.S., Israel, and dozens of other countries for orchestrating deadly terrorist operations in the region and the world; Hezbollah considers his assassination to be the work of Israel. After the death of Imad Mughniyeh, Iranian political and military leaders maintained close ties with his parents and other relatives; Mughniyeh's father passed away last year, and his mother died this week. The IRGC commander, while sending a condolence letter to Hassan Nasrallah, also stated in an interview on Thursday: 'Iran will remain resilient until the destruction of the Zionist regime, and we have now come closer to that time of the regime's destruction.' Mohammad Ali Jafari added in this interview: 'If previously Iran's ability to defend Southwest Asia and not dominate it was 12 minutes, now that time has become even shorter.' According to Fars News Agency, and as reported in Jafari's interview with the Al-Masirah news network, affiliated with the Houthis of Yemen, he made these remarks in response to recent statements by Donald Trump. Mr. Trump recently told his supporters in Iowa that before he became president, 'Iran could take control of the Middle East in 12 minutes, but now it has weakened and is struggling for its survival, and people are rioting in all cities of Iran.' In response to these remarks from the U.S. President, Mohammad Ali Jafari also stated: 'If our security is threatened, we will never hesitate to respond outside our borders'; however, he did not provide further explanation regarding this threat. Hossein Salami, the deputy commander of the IRGC, also referred to Trump's statement on Thursday, saying: 'The enemy's admission indicates Iran's power, but it should know that we will never occupy the Middle East, and with our power, we can save the Middle East from the Great Satan in less than 12 minutes.' According to Fars, Hossein Salami, during the introduction ceremony of the commander of the Imam Hussein Corps of Tehran, added: 'They tell us to lay down our missiles, and we know well that they say such things with the dream of dominating us, but they do not know that we will never weaken or limit our tools of power.' Last week, Hossein Salami also advised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to practice swimming in the sea because, according to him, Netanyahu will soon have no choice but to flee to the sea. The threatening rhetoric of Tehran's leaders against Israel and the possibility of 'Tel Aviv's destruction' and potential strikes against U.S. interests in the region have intensified ahead of the return of a new round of U.S. sanctions against Iran. The U.S. is set to implement a new round of sanctions against Iran in mid-November with the aim of 'reducing Iran's oil exports to zero'; the previous round of sanctions was implemented in mid-August following the official withdrawal of Donald Trump's administration from the global powers' nuclear agreement with Iran, which has had serious negative impacts on Iran's economy.