Iranian Army Chief: New Security Situation in the Region

US Central Command distributed a photo of a fighter jet flying over a destroyer in Arab Gulf waters on August 15 (AFP)
US Central Command distributed a photo of a fighter jet flying over a destroyer in Arab Gulf waters on August 15 (AFP)
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Iranian Army Chief: New Security Situation in the Region

US Central Command distributed a photo of a fighter jet flying over a destroyer in Arab Gulf waters on August 15 (AFP)
US Central Command distributed a photo of a fighter jet flying over a destroyer in Arab Gulf waters on August 15 (AFP)

Iranian Army Commander-in-Chief Maj. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi commented, on Saturday, that a “new security situation has emerged in the region.”

The army chief said that the new situation presents opportunities for Iran but also brings significant threats.

“The world is in turmoil, awaiting the establishment of a new order,” he emphasized.

Mousavi pointed to a shift in tactics by adversaries, noting their turn towards cyber warfare, informational tactics, economic battles, and incitement of disturbances.

Mousavi’s remarks were made at the 24th meeting of the Supreme Assembly of Commanders of Iran’s Revolution Guards Corps in Tehran, according to “Fars” news agency.

“At the present time, the chaos of the capitalist system, the growing trend of Russia and China's confrontation with the US, and the de-dollarization trend in global transactions on the one hand and the authoritative presence of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the region on the other hand, have created suitable opportunities for our country,” he said.

Mousavi highlighted that, regionally, over the past four decades, Iran identified four primary centers of threats.

The first of these is the “US military presence in the region and its surrounding environment.”

The second he described as “threats from Israel, which for the past 75 years has embodied a source of conflict and war.”

“Over the past forty years, Israel has consistently been involved in conspiracies and malevolent activities against Iran,” noted Mousavi.

The third center of threat “relates to certain regional governments that have posed threats to Iran by fostering anti-security mechanisms and exhibiting costly behaviors.”

The fourth and final center is “terrorist organizations supported by the US and its regional allies.”

Mousavi believes that the threat against Iran today “has weakened compared to past decades.”

He added that “an effective regional defense model has been established to enhance deterrence against adversaries.”



Magnitude 5.5 Earthquake Strikes China Near Source of Yellow River

A lake is seen near the headwaters of the Yellow River in Madoi county, Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai province, China August 31, 2019. (Reuters)
A lake is seen near the headwaters of the Yellow River in Madoi county, Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai province, China August 31, 2019. (Reuters)
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Magnitude 5.5 Earthquake Strikes China Near Source of Yellow River

A lake is seen near the headwaters of the Yellow River in Madoi county, Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai province, China August 31, 2019. (Reuters)
A lake is seen near the headwaters of the Yellow River in Madoi county, Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai province, China August 31, 2019. (Reuters)

A magnitude 5.5 earthquake shook parts of the Chinese province of Qinghai on Wednesday, with its epicenter located near the source of the Yellow River, the main natural waterway serving northern China.

The vast Qinghai-Tibetan plateau has been jolted by seismic activity since Tuesday, including a deadly 6.8-magnitude quake in the foothills of the Himalayas in Tibet and a smaller 3.1-magnitude quake in Sichuan.

The epicenter of the Qinghai quake, which struck at 3:44 p.m. (0844 GMT), was located in Madoi county in the Golog prefecture at a depth of 14 km (8.7 miles), according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).

It was about 200 km west of the county seat of Madoi, a town populated mainly by Tibetans, including former nomadic herders and their families who have resettled in government-built homes over the years.

Earthquakes are common along the edges of the seismically active Qinghai-Tibetan plateau, including Madoi.

A total of 102 quakes of magnitude 3 or higher have been logged within 200 km of Wednesday's quake over the past five years, according to CENC, with the largest reaching a magnitude of 7.4 in 2021.

The epicenter of Qinghai quake on Wednesday is about 1,000 km northeast of the quake in Tibet a day earlier.