Iran will ‘open gates of hell’ if attacked by US or Israel: IRGC chief
Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Mohammad Salami issued a stark warning to Israel and the United States on Thursday, saying that Iran would “open the gates of hell” if attacked by the US or Israel.
“These are serious warnings to the Zionist and American authorities... If you make the slightest mistake, we will open the gates of hell for you,” Salami said in a video carried by Iran’s Tasnim news agency.
“A principle in our defense doctrine is that from any point where our enemy acts against our interests and goals, we will target and hit that point and any other point where our enemy’s interests lie,” Salami said.
“Therefore, we declare that any point in any territory that becomes the origin of an invasion will be the target of an invasion for us, meaning that the origin will become a target,” he added.
General Salami made the threat amid tensions and a series of confrontational statements between Iranian, Israeli, and American officials, set against the backdrop of nuclear talks between Iran and Washington.
Salami warned the US and Israel of dire consequences if any of them initiates an attack. He accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to drag the US into an “unending war” and emphasized that Iran is ready to fight on all levels while still prioritizing diplomacy.
On Thursday, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened Iran with “Gaza-like” action amid an escalation with Yemen which hit Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv with a hypersonic missile on Sunday. Israel accuses Iran of providing Yemeni armed forces with military assistance.
Iranian officials have denied any involvement in the recent missile attack by Yemen’s Armed Forces.
US President Donald Trump has also threatened Iran with military attack if no agreement is reached between the two countries in the ongoing talks between the two countries on Tehran’s nuclear program.
The US and Iran have held three rounds of negotiations since April 12. A planned fourth round, originally scheduled for May 3, was postponed due to “logistical reasons,” according to mediator Oman.