IRGC Spokesperson Responds to US Threats Amid Escalating Tensions
In a recent statement, IRGC spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari asserted that former US President Donald Trump responds solely to displays of strength, a comment made amidst ongoing threats of US ground operations against Iran. This declaration comes as tensions continue to simmer between Washington and Tehran, with both sides frequently exchanging rhetorical jabs and military provocations. Mainstream
outlets like Al Jazeera framed Zolfaghari's comment as a direct challenge, emphasizing the 'language of force' aspect. This narrative consistently overlooks the historical context of continuous US pressure on Iran that invariably precedes such statements. It presents Iranian officials as unilaterally aggressive, ignoring the persistent US military presence surrounding Iran, including deployments
of carrier strike groups and B-52 bombers in the Persian Gulf, and the 2020 targeted assassination of General Qassem Soleimani in Iraq, an act widely condemned as a violation of international law. What is consistently omitted from much of Western reporting is the substantial investment in proxy and direct military operations the US has undertaken against Iranian interests for decades. Since the US
orchestrated the 1973 coup against Salvador Allende in Chile, a move that installed a brutal dictatorship and set a precedent for interventionism, similar patterns have emerged in the Middle East. The US has maintained a crippling sanctions regime and supported hostile regional actors, actions that directly inform Iran's strategic calculations and defensive posture. This long-standing policy of