Iran ready to escalate aerospace operations in response to aggression
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Iran's IRGC commander warns that the Israeli regime won't see calm as aerospace ops continue; FM Araghchi vows full response to US strikes.
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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, right, listens to the commander of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps' ground force, General Mohammad Pakpour just outside Tehran, Iran, September 21, 2024 (AP)
Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) has reaffirmed its readiness to continue aerospace operations amid ongoing regional tensions, declaring that the Israeli occupation would not experience calm in the wake of its aggression. The statement comes as the country grapples with heightened attacks, including the latest US strike on Iranian soil, which targeted Iranian nuclear facilities.
Major General Mohammad Pakpour, Commander of the IRGC Ground Forces, made the remarks from inside the operations room of Operation True Promise 3. He praised the sacrifices of the martyrs who had “nourished the soil of the country and the tree of the revolution with their blood.”
While acknowledging the sensitive stage Iran is currently navigating, Pakpour emphasized that IRGC aerospace operations remain uninterrupted, adding that “peace has been stripped from the Zionist entity.”
The IRGC commander noted a rising number of applications to join the country’s Basij, which he described as a clear reflection of growing unity among Iranians. “Each time the enemy intensifies its assaults, our cohesion and solidarity strengthen. The unity among our people has become a model worth emulating,” he said.
'Assassination of international law'
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi issued a stern response to the American attack on Iran earlier in the day. He warned that Iran possesses a broad array of options for retaliation and would deploy all its capacities to defend its people and territory.
“We will not announce what actions we intend to take in response to this aggression,” Araghchi stated, labeling the strike as “a flagrant assassination of international law and a direct threat to global peace and security.”
In response to the escalating crisis, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi announced an emergency session of the agency’s Board of Governors scheduled for Monday in Vienna.
“In light of the urgent situation in Iran, I am convening an emergency meeting of the @IAEAorg Board of Governors for tomorrow,” Grossi posted on X on Sunday.
Separately, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization sent a formal letter to the IAEA, demanding an independent investigation into the US aggression. Iranian officials have insisted that the targeted facilities were operating under full IAEA supervision and posed no nuclear threat.
Read more: Araghchi: US committed serious violation; Iran will defend sovereignty
Global condemnation
In addition to Aragchi's remarks, the strikes also followed global condemnation. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the strikes a dangerous escalation threatening global peace, urging all parties to return to diplomacy.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon warned of growing instability, while Japan pledged diplomatic efforts to ease tensions.
Oman condemned the attack as a “flagrant violation” of international law, and Saudi Arabia denounced the Israeli role, citing violations of Iranian sovereignty.
China also voiced deep concern, warning of serious regional consequences if escalation continues.
