Salami: IRGC Forces in Syria Have Not Decreased

The deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has implicitly denied reports of a reduction in Iranian forces in Syria, stating that the number of advisors and consultants present in the country has not decreased. Hossein Salami, the deputy commander of the IRGC, said in an interview with the Fars News Agency on Tuesday, December 22, in response to reports about a decrease in Iranian forces in Syria: "The number of IRGC advisors in Syria fluctuates and is unrelated to defense strategies, and there has been no reduction in this regard." Bloomberg reported on Thursday, December 10, citing "American and Western military officials," that the Islamic Republic is "withdrawing" its military forces from combat zones in Syria. These unnamed "American and European military officials" claimed that this action by Iran creates a rift in the Iran-Russia alliance regarding the Syrian war. The Russian news agency Sputnik recently reported, citing a Russian expert, that the number of Iranian forces in Syria has decreased from 7,000 to 700. Iran claims it does not have military forces in Syria but sends its advisors to assist the Syrian government against groups it labels as "terrorists" and "takfiris." Iran and Russia are the main supporters of Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria. In recent months, many Iranian forces have been killed in Syria, especially around Aleppo, and Iranian media have extensively covered their funeral ceremonies in various cities across the country. An Arabic website also reported on Monday, December 21, the "captivity" of two Iranian soldiers near Aleppo by the militia group "Sham Brigade" and published their photos. "The IRGC does not adjust its missile power based on resolutions," the deputy commander of the IRGC stated, declaring that they "never study" UN Security Council resolutions regarding Iran's missile program and that the "development of defensive and deterrent power" has "nothing to do" with these resolutions. Brigadier General Hossein Salami also mentioned in another part of his interview: "The IRGC does not adjust its missile power based on resolutions." He added: "Our duty is to produce power, and in this regard, we never study resolutions, and no paragraphs will ever limit our rapid movement to produce and enhance our defensive power." Salami's statements come after a group of observers on Iran sanctions at the UN reported that the "Emad" missile is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, which constitutes a violation under paragraph nine of Security Council resolution 1929. Samantha Power, the US representative at the UN, also stated after the report's release that the US will exert pressure for practical actions against Tehran. Meanwhile, at least 36 out of 54 Republican senators, including Mitch McConnell, the majority leader in this part of Congress, wrote a letter to Obama, the President of the United States, referring to the test of this missile, requesting that sanctions against Tehran not be lifted. Hossein Dehghan, Iran's Minister of Defense, reacted to these positions on Wednesday, December 16, calling the "Emad" missile a "completely conventional" missile and emphasizing that the Islamic Republic will "not accept any limitations" regarding its missile program. On October 11, the same day that the Iranian parliament approved the general plan for implementing the Vienna nuclear agreement, the Iranian Ministry of Defense announced the test of a new ballistic missile named "Emad." The Iranian Minister of Defense did not disclose the precise range of this missile but stated that the "Emad" missile is a "long-range" missile. American officials have claimed that the "Emad" missile is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, but Iran has denied this claim. Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, previously stated that Tehran considers the resolutions prior to resolution 2231 as "invalid" and does not feel obligated to implement them. Resolution 2231 of the Security Council also calls on Iran to refrain from any activities related to ballistic missiles designed to carry nuclear weapons for eight years after the "day of acceptance of the Vienna nuclear agreement." The Islamic Republic has stated that the provisions of this resolution regarding "defensive capabilities" and especially Iran's missiles are "rejected" and that it has "not accepted and will not accept" them.