Iranian military commander Ismail Kowsari responded angrily to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's recent threats of sanctions, saying the U.S. is in no position to police other countries' nuclear capabilities. (Photo: @fuadrahman59/Twitter)
May 22, 2018
A top Iranian military commander responded on Tuesday to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's demand that Iran end its domestic nuclear energy development, with a stern reminder that the United States has shown itself as the world's most dangerous and violent military and nuclear power.
"Who are you and America to tell us to limit the range of ballistic missiles?" Ismail Kowsari, deputy commander of the Sarollah Revolutionary Guards base in Tehran, asked Pompeo in a statement. "History has shown that with the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, America is the top criminal with regard to missiles."
The Trump administration has spent much of the past year and a half demanding that other countries, including Iran and North Korea, end their respective nuclear programs, despite the fact that the U.S. and Russia hold more than 90 percent of the world's nuclear weapons.
Kowsari's remarks came two weeks after President Donald Trump announced the U.S. would violate the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal, which was negotiated in 2015 by the Obama administration.
The deal had lifted harsh economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for restrictions on Iran's nuclear development. Trump pulled out of the agreement despite repeated assurances from international observers that Iran was in full compliance with the deal.
Pompeo alarmed European leaders--who said last weekend that they would seek to stay in the deal with Iran and maintain trade with the country--on Monday when he said in a speech at the conservative Heritage Foundation that Iran would face the "strongest sanctions in history," claiming the sanctions would bring the country to the negotiating table over its nuclear program.
He also demanded Iran end its enrichment of uranium--which Iran has repeatedly said it's developed for domestic energy and medical purposes--and outlined 12 demands for Iran's foreign policy, including an end to its involvement in the Syrian civil war.
"The people of Iran should stand united in the face of this and they will deliver a strong punch to the mouth of the American Secretary of State and anyone who backs them," Kowsari said in his response to Pompeo.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
A top Iranian military commander responded on Tuesday to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's demand that Iran end its domestic nuclear energy development, with a stern reminder that the United States has shown itself as the world's most dangerous and violent military and nuclear power.
"Who are you and America to tell us to limit the range of ballistic missiles?" Ismail Kowsari, deputy commander of the Sarollah Revolutionary Guards base in Tehran, asked Pompeo in a statement. "History has shown that with the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, America is the top criminal with regard to missiles."
The Trump administration has spent much of the past year and a half demanding that other countries, including Iran and North Korea, end their respective nuclear programs, despite the fact that the U.S. and Russia hold more than 90 percent of the world's nuclear weapons.
Kowsari's remarks came two weeks after President Donald Trump announced the U.S. would violate the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal, which was negotiated in 2015 by the Obama administration.
The deal had lifted harsh economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for restrictions on Iran's nuclear development. Trump pulled out of the agreement despite repeated assurances from international observers that Iran was in full compliance with the deal.
Pompeo alarmed European leaders--who said last weekend that they would seek to stay in the deal with Iran and maintain trade with the country--on Monday when he said in a speech at the conservative Heritage Foundation that Iran would face the "strongest sanctions in history," claiming the sanctions would bring the country to the negotiating table over its nuclear program.
He also demanded Iran end its enrichment of uranium--which Iran has repeatedly said it's developed for domestic energy and medical purposes--and outlined 12 demands for Iran's foreign policy, including an end to its involvement in the Syrian civil war.
"The people of Iran should stand united in the face of this and they will deliver a strong punch to the mouth of the American Secretary of State and anyone who backs them," Kowsari said in his response to Pompeo.
A top Iranian military commander responded on Tuesday to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's demand that Iran end its domestic nuclear energy development, with a stern reminder that the United States has shown itself as the world's most dangerous and violent military and nuclear power.
"Who are you and America to tell us to limit the range of ballistic missiles?" Ismail Kowsari, deputy commander of the Sarollah Revolutionary Guards base in Tehran, asked Pompeo in a statement. "History has shown that with the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, America is the top criminal with regard to missiles."
The Trump administration has spent much of the past year and a half demanding that other countries, including Iran and North Korea, end their respective nuclear programs, despite the fact that the U.S. and Russia hold more than 90 percent of the world's nuclear weapons.
Kowsari's remarks came two weeks after President Donald Trump announced the U.S. would violate the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal, which was negotiated in 2015 by the Obama administration.
The deal had lifted harsh economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for restrictions on Iran's nuclear development. Trump pulled out of the agreement despite repeated assurances from international observers that Iran was in full compliance with the deal.
Pompeo alarmed European leaders--who said last weekend that they would seek to stay in the deal with Iran and maintain trade with the country--on Monday when he said in a speech at the conservative Heritage Foundation that Iran would face the "strongest sanctions in history," claiming the sanctions would bring the country to the negotiating table over its nuclear program.
He also demanded Iran end its enrichment of uranium--which Iran has repeatedly said it's developed for domestic energy and medical purposes--and outlined 12 demands for Iran's foreign policy, including an end to its involvement in the Syrian civil war.
"The people of Iran should stand united in the face of this and they will deliver a strong punch to the mouth of the American Secretary of State and anyone who backs them," Kowsari said in his response to Pompeo.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.