Iran views Israel-CENTCOM coordination as national security threat: Top general

Iran’s top general has warned of the ramifications of the growing military coordination between the US Central Command (CENTCOM) and the Israeli military, saying the Islamic Republic interprets the development as a direct threat to its national security.

Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri wrote in an online message that the terrorist US military has tried to compensate for the withdrawal of its aircraft carriers, helicopter carriers, and destroyers from the Persian Gulf and the Oman Sea by connecting the “child-killing” Israeli military to CENTCOM.

“The meaning of this action is that, from our point of view, the spying – and even operational – facilities of the United States and its allies will be at the disposal of the occupying Zionist regime, and this will increase the threat to our beloved country,” Baqeri said.

Late last month, Israeli minister for military affairs Benny Gantz made an unprecedented visit to the headquarters of the US Central Command in Florida, where he was received by CENTCOM Commander General Michael Kurilla.

During the visit, Gantz claimed that Israel’s cooperation with CENTCOM and the countries of the region is a “game changer” in confronting Iran, adding that Israel and the US “will continue to deepen cooperation” against Iran’s peaceful nuclear program, which he charged was aimed at obtaining a nuclear weapon.

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Meanwhile, the Israeli army held a joint simulation training exercise with the CENTCOM-led US forces in late July with the professed aim of “protecting Israel from ballistic threats,” according to a statement released by the Israeli foreign ministry on Monday.

“I welcome the new cooperation between CENTCOM and IDF forces,” Gantz said, according to the statement. He added that “combining forces” and “sharing knowledge” was among the objectives of the exercise.

Israel moved from US European Command to CENTCOM in September of last year with the aim of simplifying the cooperation with American occupation forces in the region. The move is also expected to expand military coordination between the Israeli regime and some Arab countries, which began to normalize their relations with the regime in Tel Aviv under US-brokered agreements in late 2020.

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In his message, Baqeri also said that regional countries that host American forces have already received written warnings from Iran, which sees the US presence in the region as a serious threat.

“In addition to written announcements, warnings, and conveyance of the message through the Foreign Ministry to countries hosting the US army, we have declared and will declare our readiness and warnings through expanding our presence, including air and sea patrols, deepening our intelligence dominance, and conducting various naval, missile, and drone exercises,” he said.

The top Iranian general further said Iran’s friendly advice to neighboring countries is to uphold brotherly relations and cooperation to establish security in the region “by our own countries and not by relying on foreigners.”

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