Tabnak – Amid increasing pressures and threats of military action by the United States, Iran is taking steps toward strengthening defense capabilities, both in terms of hardware and human resources. In this vein, Iranian Supreme Leader has appointed two new commanders for the country’s military.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei appointed the commander of the newly established Air Defense Force of the Iranian Army, and the new commander of Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base.
In a decree on Tuesday, Ayatollah Khamenei appointed Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, the current chief-commander of the Army, as the new commander of Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base.
In the decree, the Leader urged General Mousavi to use all the facilities and capacities of the country’s Armed Forces to defend the Iranian airspace and reinforce the integrated and strong network of Iran’s air defense command and control.
In a separate decree, the Leader appointed Brigadier General Alireza Sabahifard as the commander of the newly established Air Defense Force of the Iranian Army. General Sabahifard was chosen upon the joint recommendation of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces and the Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base, and the recommendation of the Army chief.
In his decree, Ayatollah Khamenei called on General Sabahifard to pay special attention to the internal growth and strengthening of the Air Defense Force, particularly through professional training of forces and up-to-date maintenance and optimum use of the equipment.
The new commander was also urged to keep the Air Defense Force vigilant and use various defense methods while maintaining an effective interaction with the Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base. General Sabahifard was previously in charge of the Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base.
In another development, the chief commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has said the country’s enemies have unsuccessfully exhausted all of their capacity for various types of warfare against the Islamic Republic.
Speaking on Tuesday, Major General Hossein Salami said Iran’s enemies had already attempted maximum pressure against Iran in every area — including economic, cultural, and political ones — to no effect.
“Today, we are a great and invincible power because we have experienced and defeated all of the enemy’s scenarios,” Major General Salami said. “We have been able to shatter enemy psyops and dry up the enemy’s capacity for war.”
He said the power of Iran’s enemies was on the decline whereas the Islamic Republic’s might was growing. “Today, Iran’s reach is no more confined to within its borders; today, Iran is a robust power in the region,” he said.
The United States recently took a quasi-warlike posture against Iran when it dispatched an aircraft carrier strike group, a bomber task force, and an amphibious assault ship to the Persian Gulf, citing an alleged Iranian threat. Iran said it posed no threat to anyone but would defend itself against any aggression.
