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Iran: U.S. Is Still ‘Number One Enemy'

Iran calls for 'the prosecution, trial and punishment of the White House'

Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps
Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps / AP
November 2, 2014

The United States remains "the great Satan" and Iran's "number one enemy," Iranian military and defense officials said over the weekend in statements that also called for "the prosecution, trial, and punishment of the White House."

The inflammatory comments, released over the weekend by Iran's Defense Ministry and the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), come as nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran reach a critical juncture.

Talks between Iran, the United States, and other Western nations remain tense as the Nov. 24 deadline grows closer.

"The U.S. is still the great Satan and the number one enemy of the (Islamic) revolution and the Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation," the IRGC said in an organizational statement released Saturday to Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency, which has close ties to the group.

The IRGC called for economic sanctions on the country to be lifted, as well as for "the prosecution, trial and punishment of the White House leaders for their crimes against Iran in the nuclear talks over the past decades."

The Iranian Defense Ministry issued a similarly sharply worded statement on Sunday.

"In compliance with the will of the late Imam Khomeini and the wise guidelines of Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution (Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei), the Iranian nation still sees the US as the number one enemy of the Islamic Revolution," the Defense Ministry statement reads.

The IRGC said that it would defend Iran against Western efforts to make the country more democratically oriented.

The IRGC "will never allow the dignity and independence of the Islamic homeland to be threatened and harmed by the will of the enemies," the statement said.

It went on to blame the United States for the creation of the Islamic State (IS, ISIL, or ISIS) and other terrorist groups in the region.

"Contemplation on the bitter realities of today, specially the ISIL and Takfiri plots in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon more than any time before shows that the U.S. is the house of the world's plots and corruption that never intends to compromise and have real friendship with a popular and independent system that manifests the powerful existence of the beloved Islam," the IRGC said.

The Iranian Defense Ministry also said that it is willing to take action against any country that threatens Iran's "national integrity."

"The Iranian nation does not allow the arrogant front and the enemies of the Islamic Republic to make any (hostile) move by maintaining its unity, national integrity and empathy as well as supporting active, wise, and revolutionary diplomacy, and it will give a hard and repenting lesson to them in case they (the enemies) make any miscalculations," the statement said.

It is unclear how these hostile comments will impact ongoing negotiations between Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, the European Union, and Secretary of State John Kerry.

The three parties are scheduled to hold critical talks next weekend as they attempt to reach a final nuclear deal before the deadline.

The issue is likely to dominate Congress' agenda as well, with many lawmakers seeking to exert some sort of oversight over the deal, which the White House is attempting to avoid.

Published under: Iran , Islamic State