Shamkhani: Sick Rumor-Mongers Ask What We Have to Do with Iraq and Syria?

Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said on Tuesday, December 29, during the funeral of Hamid Taghavi, a slain commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Iraq, that "sick rumor-mongers these days promote the question of what relation there is between Samarra and Hamid Taghavi and what we have to do with what is happening in Iraq and Syria." According to Iranian media reports, Hamid Taghavi, one of the IRGC commanders, was killed on Saturday, December 27, by a sniper from the ISIS group in Samarra, Iraq. Shamkhani emphasized that "the answer to this question is clear: if the Taghavis do not shed blood in Samarra, we must shed blood in Sistan, Azerbaijan, Shiraz, and Isfahan." He stressed: "Taghavi and the Taghavis today shed blood so that before we shed blood in Tehran, we must defend and shed blood in Samarra." Alongside Shamkhani's remarks, Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, also stated that the Iranian armed forces have prevented what he called "wild terrorists" in Iraq and created stability in that country. Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani, the head of the office of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, had previously said: "Some asked what relation Syria has to us? To them, it should be said that if Syria had not been supported, Iraq would have been lost today." Iran is one of the main supporters of Bashar al-Assad's government in the three-year civil war in Syria. Reports of the presence of Iranian military forces in Syria and Iraq have previously been published. Iranian officials have stated that Iranian military forces are present in these countries for "advisory" services. Previously, Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, had said that Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force, "prevented the fall of Erbil with 70 men." Shamkhani continued his remarks by referring to Hamid Taghavi's work history, stating: "From the first day of the formation of the IRGC in Ahvaz, he entered in the capacity of a guard and conducted intelligence work and was, in fact, one of the founders of the Iraqi Mujahideen in Hoor, and his collaboration with the Iraqi Mujahideen made him a commander that others easily accepted as a commander." According to the public relations office of the IRGC, Taghavi was one of the commanders of the Ramadan Headquarters during the eight-year Iran-Iraq war. The Ramadan Headquarters is referred to as the command center for conducting irregular warfare by the IRGC. The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council also stated: "The chaotic situation in our region is due to the perspective of Western leaders in fighting our Islamic aspirations." Iranian officials have repeatedly referred to the group "Islamic State" (formerly ISIS) as a creation of the U.S., Israel, and Britain, and have accused Sunni Arab countries bordering the Persian Gulf, especially Saudi Arabia, of supporting this group. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, stated on Friday, October 3, that this group is a product of the West and said that "the goal of the arrogance in launching Takfiri terrorist groups is to create a safe haven for the Zionist regime." He also referred to the British government as "wicked" on Tuesday, May 21, stating that the country created "ISIS" and al-Qaeda "to confront the Islamic Republic and Islamic awakening."