Iran vows to ‘decisively crush any threat, aggression’ as deal with US expires ⁰

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says it is prepared to deliver a crushing response to any threat or aggression as a war-termination deal between Iran and the United States expires with no breakthrough in sight for talks to permanently end hostilities.

The IRGC issued a statement on Monday, commemorating the 36th anniversary of the return of Iranian prisoners of war (POWs), who were held captive during the 1980s imposed war waged against the country by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

The IRGC said its forces at the current critical juncture are inspired by the self-sacrifice, resilience, and steadfastness of proud Iranian POWs while relying on Almighty God and following the directives of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei.

The IRGC, the statement added, “assures the honorable people of Iran that its forces, who are fully prepared and committed to employing all their capabilities, will work … in close coordination and synergy with the country’s other powerful armed forces to safeguard the Islamic Revolution and defend Iran’s territorial integrity, independence, dignity, and national interests.”

The elite military force also warned that its fighters “will decisively crush any threat or aggression with the utmost resolve, drawing on a strategy of maximum deterrence and powerful offensive operations.”

August 17 marks the day when Iranian POWs returned to their homeland after years of captivity in the notorious prisons of Saddam Hussein’s Ba’athist regime, the IRGC said.

It further described the POWs as “living testimony to the legitimacy of Iran’s cause and the injustices it endured. They carry on the legacy of the martyrs, serve as enduring examples of patience and resilience, and embody the ideals of freedom and honor.”