News / Defense

Iran defends all Muslims against Daesh: Soleimani

Sunday, 13 March 2016 11:59 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 14 March 2016 1:16 AM ]

Major General Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps

Major General Qasem Soleimani, a commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), says Iran defends all Muslims against the Daesh Takfiri threat.

The commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force made the comments during a ceremony in the southeastern province of Kerman on Sunday.

“Takfirism is a fire in the homes of our Sunni brothers. And those who created it thought they could... (use it to) bring the Islamic Republic and Shiism to their knees,” he said.

Syrian children wearing orange jumpsuits stand inside a cage near Damascus to imitate Jordanian air force pilot Maaz al-Kassasbeh, who was burned alive by Daesh terrorists, during a protest on February 15, 2015 to denounce the Takfiris’ carnage in Syria and Iraq. (AFP)

The commander also questioned claims of “Iranian adventurism” in the region, stressing Iran's measures are aimed at defending the dignity of all Muslims.

Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies accuse Iran of meddling in crises gripping Syria and Yemen, in both of which the monarchy itself has been directly engaged.

“Is it an adventurous move for the Islamic Republic to defend Muslims’ properties and lives… (and) to stop the destruction of Muslims’ mosques?” he said.

The commander noted that the reason for such claims is that the Islamic Republic plays a central role in the Muslim world.

Although the Muslim country is under the "dominance" of the Saudi royal family, and the people play "no role" in its governance, Iran has never gotten engaged in any form of “adventurism" against Saudi Arabia, Soleimani said.

“It has always been the Saudis who have been adventurous towards Islam,” he said, referring to Riyadh’s killing of thousands of Muslim men and women in Yemen and crackdown on its own people.

Saudi Arabia has relentlessly been attacking Yemen since March last year while it has been implicated in providing support for Daesh along with its allies, including Qatar and Turkey.

On the other hand, the kingdom has been part of a US–led coalition which launches air raids in Iraq and Syria allegedly to target the Takfiris.

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