New Head of IRGC Quds Force Calls US Source of Wickedness, Mischief

“Our enemies only understand the language of force and this is why we must maintain our ground against them,” Brigadier General Esmaeil Qa’ani said while speaking in his induction ceremony in Tehran on Monday.

Describing the United States as the source of enmity, wickedness and mischief against Iran, the commander said, “If we fulfill our duty in an appropriate manner, all threats can be turned into opportunities.”

Stressing that the enemies martyred former IRGC Quds Force commander Lt. General Qassem Soleimani in an unfair manner, Qa’ani said, “They were not man enough to face Haj Qassem on the battlefield. They martyred our high-ranking commander in the most cowardly manner, but with the grace of God and the perseverance of all valiant men across the world, we will strike back at his enemy in a manly way.”

Noting that the sole way to overcome enemies is through steadfastness and resistance, the new head of the IRGC’s Quds Force said, "The bright path, which Haj Qassem tread with strength and power, will continue with full force as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces stipulated in his edict."

On January 3, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei appointed Brigadier General Qa'ani as the new commander of the IRGC Quds Force.

The edict came hours after General Soleimani, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was the deputy head of Iraq’s Hashd al-Sha'abi (PMU), and a number of their entourage were killed in a strike by American drones near Baghdad International Airport on Friday, January 3.

The White House and the Pentagon claimed responsibility for the assassination of General Soleimani in Iraq, saying the attack was carried out at the direction of US President Donald Trump.

In the early hours of Wednesday, January 8, the IRGC targeted the US airbase of Ain al-Assad in retaliation for the US move.