Iran’s power makes any hostile military action 'high-risk': IRGC deputy cmdr.

Iran’s defense advancements have fundamentally altered the strategic landscape, making the cost-benefit analysis of any military aggression against the country “extremely complex and high-risk” for adversaries, says the deputy commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).

General Ahmad Vahidi made the remarks during a speech at a scientific festival held at the University of Tehran on Wednesday, in reaction to renewed threats of military attacks targeting Iran by American officials.

Citing a report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London, General Vahidi said the international community recognizes the qualitative shift in Iran’s military power.

“Iran’s defense capability has developed in such a way in recent years that calculating the costs and benefits of any military action against Iran has become very complicated for the enemy.”

He said indigenous technological breakthroughs and a significant reduction in strategic dependence on foreign powers have dramatically bolstered Iran’s level of deterrence.

Failure of cognitive warfare

General Vahidi addressed the multifaceted pressures facing Iran: a combination of economic sanctions, military threats, and a continuous and extensive cognitive warfare operation by Western powers.

General Vahidi said the enemy, through cognitive, political, and economic operations, seeks to create fear and to break the cohesion of society.

“Yet once again, despite severe economic pressure, military threats, and psychological warfare, the Iranian nation has passed this test of resilience with high marks,” he said, referring to massive anti-riot demonstrations across Iran in early January.

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Reflecting on recent history, he said foreign plots have consistently backfired.

“The enemies thought they could weaken or eliminate the pure Islam and the Islamic Republic system through pressure, but the experience of the eight-year Sacred Defense (Iran-Iraq War) and the recent 12-day war showed that these pressures did not weaken us; instead, they led to the strengthening of the Islamic Revolution.”

Western hypocrisy

The IRGC commander slammed Western diplomatic positions in support of recent terrorist riots in Iran, expressing astonishment at the “ignorance and insolence” of certain Western officials who openly defend crimes.

“While widespread atrocities against the oppressed people of Gaza are met with silence or open support from certain Western governments, those same countries take positions against the legitimate actions of the Iranian nation and security forces.”

The general said these “double standards” signal a “moral crisis and value collapse” within Western societies, which, he said, was a precursor to an eventual collapse.

Earlier in January, US President Donald Trump threatened Iran with attacks if Iran killed what he termed as “peaceful protesters.”

Only a few days later, on January 8 and 9, terrorist groups launched a wave of armed attacks against police stations, military bases, and other sensitive locations, along with civilian infrastructure, in several cities.

Iranian officials say the violent attacks were intended to create mass casualties and destabilize urban centers in various cities across the country.

Iranian officials have repeatedly criticized Western media outlets for circulating mass-scale false reports regarding casualties and blaming the Iranian government for them.

Some Western media reports have claimed up to 30,000 deaths occurred after what they label as “peaceful protests” were suppressed by security forces. But official Iranian records show 3,117 people lost their lives in the riots, of which 2,427 were innocent civilians and security personnel killed by terrorists.

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