Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi has hailed the "brilliant record" of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in the fight against terrorism, saying late commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani has become the hero of anti-terror battle in the region.
Marking the National Guards Day in a meeting with a number of IRGC forces in West Azerbaijan Province on Friday, Raeisi said the Iranian forces have always created security and foiled the enemies' evil acts.
He added that enemies are fearful of the IRGC forces because they have always safeguarded divine values, the Iranian people, and the country.
Enemies have wrongly thought that they would be able to cause fear among the Iranian people and forces by assassinating the country's forces and commanders, Raeisi said.
He noted that the IRGC forces are playing a role across the country while countries in the region owe their security to the bravery of the IRGC.
"The [global] arrogance has created Daesh and terrorist groups but the IRGC's presence leads to security," the Iranian president added.
"General Soleimani is the hero of the fight against terrorism in the region and battle against the insurgents and those who foment insecurity," he argued.
General Soleimani, Commander of the IRGC Quds Force, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), and their companions were assassinated in a US drone strike authorized by former US president Donald Trump near Baghdad International Airport on January 3, 2020.
Both commanders were highly revered across the Middle East because of their key role in fighting the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in the region, particularly in Iraq and Syria.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Raeisi said enemies have sustained numerous defeats from Iran in various sectors and "they themselves have announced it."
Pointing to the enemies' miscalculations in dealing with the Islamic establishment, the president emphasized that anyone who seeks to conduct an act of evil against the country or threaten it would be defeated.