No security in West Asia as long as US terrorist forces stay: Iran's Shamkhani

The secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) says as long as terrorist forces of the United States are present in the region there will be no security and peace in West Asia.

In a meeting with the visiting Syrian Prime Minister Imad Khamis in Tehran on Monday, Ali Shamkhani said, “As long as terrorist forces of the United States stay in the West Asia region, this region will experience no stability, peace or sustainable security.”

Iran's top security official added, “There is no doubt that expulsion of the wicked US is possible through unity of regional nations and governments.”

Referring to the recent assassination of commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps’ Quds Force, Lt. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, on order of US President Donald Trump in Iraq, Shamkhani said Trump and his “silly advisors” believed that they could bring about the collapse of the resistance front through assassination of its courageous commander.

“However, what they did backfired and the blood of this dear martyr and his companions led to further strengthening of the resistance front and caused people of the region and the world to hate America even more intensely."

The SNSC secretary pointed to the US-backed Israeli regime's indiscriminate attacks against the resistance front and said, "Undoubtedly, the martyrdom of General Soleimani will make the resistance front more determined to seriously counter the acts of aggression by the Zionist regime (Israel)."

The US military carried out a drone strike on January 3 against general Soleimani's motorcade upon his arrival in Baghdad.

The attack also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), as well as eight other Iranian and Iraqi people.

Both commanders were admired by Muslim nations for eliminating the US-sponsored Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in the region, particularly in Iraq and Syria.

The US assassination has drawn a wave of condemnation from officials and movements throughout the world, and triggered huge public protests across the region.

Read more:

• Rouhani: Ultimate revenge is to end US presence in region
• Rouhani to UK PM: There would be no security in London without Soleimani’s efforts
• US comes under fire at UN Security Council meeting for assassinating Gen. Soleimani
• Iran writes to UN: We’re not after war but reserve right to self-defense against US threats

Elsewhere in his remarks, Shamkhani said Iran gave a "crushing response" to Washington's crime in assassinating General Qassemi by attacking a US air base in Iraq and once again proved that “it stops at nothing to protect its national security and interests under any circumstances.”

The IRGC on January 7 targeted the US air base of Ain al-Assad in Anbar province in western Iraq after launching a wave of attacks to retaliate the US assassination of General Soleimani.

IRGC targets US airbases in Iraq in response to assassination of General Soleimani

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has targeted US airbases in Iraq.

"Tens of surface-to-surface missiles" were fired at the strategic air base and the attack was later confirmed by the US officials.

The IRGC has called for a complete withdrawal of US troops from the Arab country, asserting that it would not differentiate between the US and Israel in retaliating against the assassination of the Iranian national hero.

Read more:

• New IRGC Quds Force chief: Iran dealt US a first slap by striking American bases in Iraq
• Iran’s next responses will be proportionate to what US will do: Defense min.

Soleimani defended oppressed people: Khamis

The Syrian prime minister, for his part, said the top assassinated Iranian commander had pursued the goal of defending the oppressed in the face of acts of aggression by the US, the Israeli regime and the world's arrogant system.

Khamis also hailed Iran's support for the Syrian nation in the battle against terrorism and called for strengthening of trade and economic cooperation with Iran now that this scourge is on the verge of full collapse.

In a meeting with the Syrian prime minister earlier on Monday, Iran's First Vice President Is’haq Jahangiri said the best revenge for the United States' criminal act in assassinating the top Iranian general Soleimani is the expulsion of all American forces from the West Asia region.

Expulsion from region, best revenge for US acts of crime: Iran VP

Iran

He added, “The United States has committed grave crimes across the region, especially in Iraq and Syria, through formation of such terrorist groups as Daesh.”

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