Soleimani Warns against Sectarian Sedition in Iran

Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani , the head of the Iranian Radio and Television Ali Askari, and the head cleric of Friday speech imams in Tehran Ali Akbari (Tasnim)
Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani , the head of the Iranian Radio and Television Ali Askari, and the head cleric of Friday speech imams in Tehran Ali Akbari (Tasnim)
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Soleimani Warns against Sectarian Sedition in Iran

Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani , the head of the Iranian Radio and Television Ali Askari, and the head cleric of Friday speech imams in Tehran Ali Akbari (Tasnim)
Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani , the head of the Iranian Radio and Television Ali Askari, and the head cleric of Friday speech imams in Tehran Ali Akbari (Tasnim)

Iran’s Quds Force chief Qassem Soleimani admitted on Sunday to allies inside Iran and abroad criticism on his division’s participation in Syria.

Soleimani said that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has taken the decision with the country’s best interest in mind, regardless whether the intervention was defending a dictator or not.

The Quds Force is a special forces unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guards responsible for their extraterritorial operations. The Quds Force reports directly to Khamenei, and its commander is Soleimani.

Speaking in Tehran, Soleimani for the first time made note of an internal opposition on an official level concerning the military intervention the Revolutionary Guard is leading in Syria and Iraq.

“High-end friends on the inside and the outside had asked for us not to interfere in Syria and Iraq, and had defended the revolution in a respectful way,” said Soleimani.  

"Do we consider our relations with other countries as to who is a dictator and otherwise, or must we choose interests?" Fars news agency, Revolutionary Guards mouthpiece, cited Soleimani as saying.

Referring to Iranian military forces staging missions in Syria and Iraq, Soleimani claimed that his country takes credit for allegedly "linking Sunni and Shi’ite sects," stressing that his country "reached unprecedented strength" because of what he saw as Khamenei's "influential" role.

The Quds Force has been leading a coalition of Iranian, Afghan and Pakistani fighters as well as Lebanese Hezbollah and an Iraqi militia in Syria for six years.

Soleimani denied that his country had advanced its interests over those of Iraq's or had sought control over oil wells and the Iraqi cities of Mosul and Kirkuk, and also repudiated information on his forces getting paid for their participation abroad.

"The Shi'ite crescent is not political but economic, the most important issue in the world is economic," Soleimani had said on March 29, 2014, during a speech in which he defended the role of his forces in the region.

Since reports started coming in on Revolutionary Guard fighters being killed abroad, Tehran has denied the presence of troops in Syria, but later said that its military forces are taking up an "advisory" role in Iraq and Syria at the official request of the governments of both countries.

Responding to accusations directed towards Iran for destabilizing the region, Soleimani said "we through sects have prevented sectarian war, not military force.”

However, for six years, the Revolutionary Guards have refused to reveal their losses abroad, whether in fighters or expenses. Last month, Soleimani said defense ministry factories manufactured weapons around the clock to arm Tehran-allied Iraqi forces.

Although Soleimani stressed the "linkage of Shi’ite and Sunni sects" in Syria and Iraq, he warned at the same time of the "danger of sectarian strife" inside Iran. He called for activating the role of mosques in Iran to "rehabilitate" fighters.



Washington: A Final Warning to Tehran Before Military Action

US President Biden speaks to journalists at the White House, on Thursday. (DPA)
US President Biden speaks to journalists at the White House, on Thursday. (DPA)
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Washington: A Final Warning to Tehran Before Military Action

US President Biden speaks to journalists at the White House, on Thursday. (DPA)
US President Biden speaks to journalists at the White House, on Thursday. (DPA)

In a strikingly timed development, leaks and writings have emerged about discussions in the White House regarding potential military options to hit Iran’s nuclear facilities. These deliberations were reportedly in preparation for the scenario where Tehran moves toward producing a nuclear weapon before January 20, the date President-elect Donald Trump is set to assume office.

According to Axios, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan presented President Joe Biden with a range of options and scenarios in a confidential meeting several weeks ago. While no new intelligence prompted the meeting and no definitive decision was made, it was part of a contingency planning process in case Iran enriches uranium to 90% purity before Trump’s inauguration. Despite the lack of active discussions on military action, some of Biden’s senior advisors believe the potential acceleration of Iran’s nuclear program, especially following Iran and its proxies’ weakened state in the ongoing conflict with Israel, could compel the US to act.

Biden’s advisors, including Sullivan, reportedly view the degradation of Iran’s air defenses and missile capabilities, coupled with the diminished strength of its regional proxies, as factors that improve the chances of a successful strike while minimizing the risks of Iranian retaliation or regional escalation. An American official clarified that Sullivan did not recommend a strike, and Biden has not approved any military action.

This leak has been interpreted as a stern warning from Washington to Tehran, particularly to its hardline factions, which dominate the domestic power struggle and push for confrontation, including potential shifts in Iran’s nuclear doctrine.

Matthew Levitt, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, stated that the Biden administration has been concerned about Tehran exploiting the final days of Biden’s term to advance its nuclear weapons program. To address these fears, a contingency plan was developed, Levitt told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The US Military Stands Ready

Richard Nephew, former deputy special envoy for Iran during the Biden administration, argued that while diplomacy might still offer hope, the US must prepare to use military force if negotiations fail. Nephew warned that a maximum pressure strategy to weaken Iran and force it into talks might provoke Tehran to conceal its nuclear materials, build a bomb, or withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Nephew emphasized that striking Iran’s nuclear program could yield strategic benefits beyond simply preventing a dangerous adversary from acquiring nuclear weapons. Such an action could deplete Tehran’s already limited resources, further strain its ability to threaten US interests, and force it to balance rebuilding its nuclear program with replenishing Hezbollah, restoring its missile stockpiles, and addressing its crippling economic challenges—all under continued sanctions.

However, Nephew cautioned that a single strike might not be sufficient to significantly weaken Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Achieving this objective could require multiple rounds of strikes, a prolonged US military presence, and an expanded scope of attacks targeting Iranian decision-makers beyond nuclear facilities.