MOSCOW, March 17. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump wanted the Iranian Armed Forces to swear allegiance to him, but his hopes and dreams failed, Iranian ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali told TASS.
"The US president believed he could destabilize Iran’s political structure and the military chain of command by assassinating the supreme leader," the Iranian diplomat said. "He imagined a scenario in which a large portion of the Iranian military would instantly pledge loyalty to Trump, allowing him to declare a Venezuela style victory before global financial markets opened on Monday. In his view, such an outcome would show his critics that an attack on Iran and the deaths of civilians would have no repercussions for him or his country. However, Iran’s political system proved far more resilient than he expected, and his pride and self-assurance have stopped him from admitting defeat," the Iranian diplomat noted.
He stressed that this explains why Trump declared his willingness "to risk the lives of thousands of US servicemen." "Military commanders and seasoned US government officials understand what a ground invasion of Iran would mean for the aggressor," Jalali said. "The Iranian Armed Forces are prepared for any eventuality and will turn the country’s territory into a graveyard for invaders," he concluded.
The United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were struck. The White House justified the attack by citing alleged missile and nuclear threats from Iran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a retaliatory operation, targeting sites in Israel. US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were also hit. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and some other key Iranian leaders were killed in the joint US-Israeli attack.