TEHRAN, Apr 28 -Commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM) has reportedly implied his forces possess essential resources to deter what he claimed as “dangerous” actions by Iran, further insisting on “long-term presence” of US forces in Iraq.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) -“I believe we’ll have the resources necessary to deter Iran from taking actions that will be dangerous,” said General Kenneth McKenzie on Saturday, as quoted by Sky News Arabia, based in the Persian Gulf kingdom of United Arab Emirates (UAE). “We will be able to respond effectively,” he added during a visit to the Persian Gulf region without pointing to a specific threat.
“We’re gonna continue to reach out to our partners and friends in the region to ensure that we make common cause against the threat of Iran,” McKenzie was further quoted as saying by the local TV network, partly owned by the Saudi-allied Abu Dhabi Emirate ruling family.
The development came amid rising tensions between Washington and Tehran after the hawkish administration of US President Donald Trump took the extraordinary step earlier this month of labeling a key part of Iranian military forces – the Islamic Revolution’s Guards Corps (IRGC) -- as “a foreign terrorist organization.”
The move sparked global outrage with many countries slamming it as unreasonable. Critics within the US have also warned the Trump administration about potential consequences of the move for American troops stationed throughout the Middle East region.
Following Trump’s move to blacklist the IRGC, Iran reciprocated the bizarre measure by designating the CENTCOM -- the portion of the US military responsible for protecting American interests in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa -- as a terrorist organization.
Senior IRGC commander Brigadier General Hossein Salami reacted to Trump’s blacklisting of the elite force by blasting the move as a “foolish” decision, insisting that the US itself was a major sponsor of terrorism that has persistently supported torture around the globe while making deceptive claims about safeguarding “democracy.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif further responded to the US move by warning the United Nations that Washington and its "puppet regimes" bear full responsibility for Trump’s “dangerous” decision.
The warning was communicated in separate letters to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the Security Council, insisting that the move violated all sorts of international boundaries.
US aims for 'long-term presence' in Iraq
Meanwhile, the CENTCOM commander also expressed confidence that American military forces are going to maintain “a long term presence in Iraq focused on the counter-terror mission,” without elaborating.
The remarks came despite heavy criticism recently expressed by high-level Iraqi officials and community leaders against remarks by the US president and other senior officials about plans to use Iraq’s territory to undermine rising Iranian influence in the country and the region.
'Long-term' US troop withdrawal from Syria
McKenzie further pointed to planned reduction of US forces in Syria, noting that it would be done cautiously, according to the report by Sky News Arabia.
“On the long term, we’re gonna reduce our forces in Syria, we recognize that, that’s the guidance in which we are operating. That will be something that we will look at very carefully as we go forward,” said the US general.
source: presstv
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