MESOP – Iran Daily: “We Will Win in Syria & Iraq”

May 21 – By Scott Lucas – eaworldview – Pointing to Iran’s increasing military involvement in Syria, a leading official has proclaimed that Tehran will win in both the Syrian and Iraqi crises, defeating Saudi-supported rebels and the Islamic State.

Mohsen Rezaei, the Secretary of the Expediency Council, declared in a televised interview, “We are certain that we will bury the Takfiris in Syria and Iraq to save the Muslim world from this scourge.”Rezaei, a former commander in the Revolutionary Guards, supported his claim with a history of Iran’s growing role:

Five years ago, when the takfiri elements began in Syria… Syria asked Iran for help; we said that we could not send divisions, but we could send advisors….When [ISIS] attacked Tikrit and came near Baghdad, the Iraqi government requested help from us. we sent advisors to Iraq, and stood in front of them, and slowly Tikrit was freed….Currently, parts of Syria and Iraq are in the hands of this group, but their advances have been completely stopped and limited.

A Challenge to Saudi Arabia

Rezaei framed the battles in Syria and Iraq as an Iranian conflict with Saudi Arabia, which is a leading backer of Syria’s opposition and rebels. Comparing Riyadh to Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, who were in a war with Iran from 1980 to 1988, he said: It is pretty obvious that it has been directed to stand against us on every issue.

They stand against us in Syria, Iraq, and the Persian Gulf; and even in Hajj [the pilgrimage in Mecca] where they are bound to guarantee the security of pilgrims….

They look as if they had a mission to stand against Iran but we bear all this with patience and fortitude.

Rezaei said the Saudis “are making a big mistake which will put both themselves and us to trouble but will achieve nothing from it”. He assured, “Everybody, even the Americans, know that Saudi Arabia does not have the ability to keep on like this.”

A Further Escalation in Syria?

The latest challenge to Saudi Arabia came as the Iranian regime considers whether to put in even more commanders and troops into Syria’s five-year conflict.

Having propped up the Assad regime since 2012, Tehran worked with Russia on last autumn’s intervention which prevented the collapse of the Syrian military. While Moscow launched thousands of airstrikes, Iranian units and Iranian-led foreign militia pursued multiple ground offensives, most of them against Syria’s rebels.

However, initial gains from the attacks have been replaced this spring with defeats. Rebels and the jihadists of Jabhat al-Nusra have regained territory south of Aleppo city, where Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have led pro-Assad forces. The Guards have acknowledged significant casualties for the first time.

Apparently preparing the Iranian people for further intervention, the Supreme Leader and military commanders have exalted “martyrdom”, with Ayatollah Khamenei carrying out a series of photo opportunities with the families of troops killed in Syria and with some of the injured fighters www.mesop.de