President Rouhani: Iranian Nation to Beat US, Allies

In a Thursday address to a group of war veterans in Tehran, President Rouhani underlined, "I explicitly declare that the Iranian nation will defeat the US, the Israeli regime, and the regional reactionaries through resistance and unity."
The Iranian president made the remarks amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington, and growing concerns about a possible military confrontation between the two sides.
"Iran won't give up (pursuing) the goal of maintaining its independence and dignity even if it is bombarded and its men are martyred, wounded, and captured," Rouhani said.
Rouhani noted that during the war imposed on Iran by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in the 1980s, the Islamic Republic was under the pressure of a military attack and occupation of its territory, but today it is "faced with an economic war and an attack on people's welfare."
The new war is more complicated than the previous one, Rouhani said, calling on the nation to remain resistant and united in the face of the US hegemony.
"The enemies are pressuring Iran to make it regret (fighting for) its independence and dignity, but the people will once again show the enemies' plots will not bear fruit," he noted.
Iran will not surrender abjectly in the face of US sanctions, the Iranian president stated, adding, "We will defeat the enemy through sacrifice and unity."
Rouhani's remarks come as the US has deployed an aircraft carrier strike group and a bomber taskforce in the Persian Gulf, citing an alleged likelihood that Iran could target the American interests in the region.
The US remarkably stoked tensions with Iran last year by leaving a multilateral nuclear agreement with Tehran, and then restoring the sanctions that had been lifted under the deal.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon confirmed on Thursday it is considering sending additional US troops to the Middle East as a way to "bolster protection for American forces there" amid tensions with Iran.
However, American officials have on many occasions gone back on their markedly belligerent rhetoric by either asserting they are not seeking war with the Islamic Republic or alleging that the “Iranian threat” has been put on hold.
On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif blasted US President Donald Trump for his recent threats against Iran, stressing ineffectiveness of Washington's attempts to defeat the country.
 Zarif in a furious response reacted to Trump's recent threat on twitter that a fight with the US would be the "official end of Iran" if Iran wants to fight, replying in a tweet that the US president is "goaded by B-Team (John Bolton, the US national security advisor, Bibi, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed)".
He added that Trump "hopes to achieve what Alexander, Genghis and other aggressors failed to do (against Iran)", adding that Iranians have stood tall for millennia while aggressors (have) all gone.
Zarif underlined that "economic terrorism and genocidal taunts won't end Iran", saying, "Never threaten an Iranian. Try respect — it works!"
As the US administration seeks to intemidate Tehran into talks, Iranians have remained adamant, stressing that no war is in the offing although the country's military forces are fully ready to provide a crushing response in defense if they ever come under strike.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei told a gathering of senior Iranian officials that he saw no possibility of war between Tehran and Washington, adding that the recent US military buildup in the region only aimed at frightening Iran to yield to the White House demands, but Iran stands strong.
Addressing the heads of the country’s executive, judiciary, and legislative branches as well as other senior officials, parliamentarians, and important figures in the country’s political, social, and cultural spheres earlier this month, Ayatollah Khamenei ruled out the possibility of war between the United States and Iran despite heightened tensions between the two sides, saying Washington knows engaging in such a conflict would not be in its interest.
The Leader further said any confrontation between the US and Iran would not be “a military one,” and that “there was not going to be any war”.
“The Iranian nation’s definite option will be resistance in the face of the US, and in this confrontation, the US would be forced into a retreat,” Ayatollah Khamenei said. “Neither we nor they, who know war will not be in their interest, are after war.”
Ayatollah Khamenei further explained that the confrontation between the two sides is “a clash of wills,” asserting that Iran would be the ultimate victor of this battle.
The Leader ruled out any negotiation with the US as long as Washington sticks with its hostile approach against the Islamic Republic, saying Washington would be attempting to undermine Iran’s “points of strength,” such as its defensive power or its strategic regional influence, in any such interaction.
As an example, Ayatollah Khamenei said, “They (Americans) say we should negotiate over your (Iran’s) defensive weapons, (questioning) why do you build (for instance) a missile with a given range. Reduce the range (of your missiles, they say,) so you would not be able to hit our bases.”
The Leader further played down Washington’s highly belligerent rhetoric against Iran, saying its real capability did not match its loud bluster, and that it “needs to engage in (such bluster).”
Ayatollah Khamenei said Washington gives priority to Israel’s interests over the benefits of all others, adding, “The control of many affairs rests in the hands of the Zionist society.”
The Leader pointed to the absence of integrity in the US administration, noting how various American officials contradict each other on a daily basis. The American society, he added, is also afflicted with rampant socioeconomic problems and violence.
Ayatollah Khamenei, meanwhile, also highlighted how Washington’s policies regarding Europe and Asia had backfired.
“In (its) policy of confrontation with the Islamic Republic too, the US will definitely suffer defeat, and (the situation) will end up to our benefit,” the Leader said, citing warnings by American analysts that Washington’s pressure on Tehran would, contrary to its intended purpose, trigger an “economic mutation”.

Source:FNA