Iran’s commander of the shadowy Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps demands blood in revenge for the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, as an uneasy calm before the storm of war returns to region
The head of Iran’s shadowy Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a deadly revenge warning to the US on Friday hours after Tehran buried slain Ayatollah Ali Kahemeni.
Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi demanded his troops avenge Khamenei, who was killed in a joint Israeli – US airstrikes on his compound on February 28 as the war began. Despite the uneasy peace that fell upon the Middle East on Friday it is feared an escalation will follow if Iran threatens more shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
For the past week Tehran’s regime has overseen a procession of mourning in both Iran and neighbouring Iraq for Khamenei who had ruled the country with brutal oppression for decades.
General Vahidi said hours after Khamenei was buried in the Iranian city of Mashad that he wanted: “The full realisation of justice and a fitting response to the criminals, especially the child-killing American army. The criminal leaders of America and all enemies of the Islamic Revolution and the Resistance Front must know that by the cowardly assassination of this divine leader they will never … bring the flag of resistance to the ground.
“Avenging the martyrs and the punishment of the perpetrators … will remain a definitive, legitimate, and an unforgettable demand.” Two days of brutal missile attacks by both sides were triggered by Iran attacking three oil and gas vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
The ships had taken a route close to the Omani coast, avoiding the route pushed by the Tehran regime, closer to the Iranian coast. Vahidi’s chilling outburst happened as it emerged Israeli intelligence claimed Iran had a specific plan to assassinate US President Donald Trump.
There had been talk of an assassination of Trump back in 2020 when he boasted the US had killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani during his first term in office. It is possible Israeli’s new assassination plot allegation led to Trump leaving the recent NATO conference in Turkey using an old plane and not the new Air Force One. The renewed threat to Trump emerged as it was revealed the US has hit 180 Iranian targets in just 48 hours of renewed strikes this week.
Iran has lashed out with attacks on the Gulf States and Jordan, specifically targeting US bases and putting Israel on high-alert. There have been explosions inside Iran today but the US thus far denies being involved. This could indicate pre-emptive strikes by Israel but there has been no confirmation. Khamenei’s death, aged 86, was a result of years of planning and intelligence gathering by Israeli Mossad and the US CIA spy agencies.
Mossad had for years built up a detailed pattern-of-life picture on Khamenei’s movements, although it is not clear if it was a US or Israeli missile that killed him. The joint operation also killed members of Khamenei’s family as as many as 40 senior Tehran leaders died in attacks on the capital in the opening seconds of the war.
Simultaneous strikes throughout Tehran decapitated the Iranian leadership but it had planned for this and command of sectors of the military was devolved all over the country. This meant individual groups could operate independently, both clamping down on dissidents, hunting down spies and firing missiles at neighbouring states, Israel and US forces.
