A senior official of the IRGC warned neighboring countries against allowing the use of their territory or attacks on Iran. “Neighboring countries are our friends, but if their soil, airspace or waters are used against Iran, they will be considered hostile,” Mohammad Akbarzadeh, political deputy of the IRGC’s naval forces, was quoted as saying by the state-linked Fars news agency, reported Al Arabiya. He added that the message had been conveyed to regional states.
Akbarzadeh said Iran did not want war but was “fully prepared,” warning that Tehran would “not retreat even a millimeter” if conflict erupted. “Iran has real-time intelligence over the Strait of Hormuz, above and below the surface, and the security of this strategic passage depends on Tehran’s decisions,” Akbarzadeh said further. “We do not want the world economy to suffer, but the Americans and their supporters will not benefit from a war they start.”
Mostafa Najafi, an Iranian security analyst reportedly with links to the IRGC, has warned that Tehran will regard any attack by the U.S. as an existential threat. “This assessment has been strengthened especially in light of the timing of such an attack coinciding with the recent domestic unrest, as well as Trump’s explicit and threatening positions on regime change and even leadership change in Iran,” he said, as reported by the Middle East Spectator. “As a result, the perception of the threat to the Islamic Republic from U.S. military action has gone beyond the level of a ‘manageable incident’ and has been elevated to the level of an existential threat.”
