Targeting US warships 'only a fraction' of Iran’s capabilities: Deputy Parliament Speaker

Iranian Parliament Deputy Speaker Ali Nikzad says that targeting US warships and destroying facilities where American military commanders are stationed represent only a fraction of Iran’s military capabilities.

“What happened in the targeting of US warships and the destruction of their commanders’ deployment centers was only a fraction of our capabilities,” Ali Nikzad said while addressing parliament during his pre-agenda speech on Tuesday.

He urged the US administration to withdraw from West Asia and the Persian Gulf, warning Washington against further losses of its already diminished credibility.

Nikzad further slammed the US military presence in the region, saying American bases had been established to project power and offer neighboring countries the "dream of security."

“You built bases in this region, and today, after our powerful armed forces destroyed them, you are forced to take refuge in hotels. You displayed your power with your warships and sold our neighbors the dream of security, but today, faced with the depression and suicide of your soldiers, you are forced to anchor off the coast of Thailand,” he said.

He also slammed the United States for interfering with Iranian vessels and said American warships had subsequently faced ballistic-missile strikes.

“You harassed Iranian ships and were then confronted with ballistic missiles striking your warships. Leaving a war that is no place for flies is the best choice for you,” Nikzad said.

On Saturday, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)’s Navy announced striking three United States-linked vessels and three trespassing oil tankers in retaliation for earlier American attacks on Iranian tankers.

Meanwhile, Major General Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, said on Sunday that Iran had successfully tested a new anti-ship missile above a US warship in regional waters.

“For the first time, we tested our anti-ship missile above an American warship,” he said. “This special missile created hell for the Americans, and they fled.”

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Nikzad also referred to the US attack on a wedding ceremony in southern Iran, saying it could not be dismissed as a technical error.

He pointed to the type of missile used and the distance between the ceremony and a telecommunications tower as evidence.

“This crime was by no means a technical error. The type of missile used, as well as the distance between the ceremony and the telecommunications tower, also demonstrates that this was a war crime,” he said.

Nikzad said the war had changed how people around the world viewed the United States and its military power.

He said that if the United States had deliberately used its advanced technology to turn a wedding ceremony into a mourning ceremony, the incident would constitute further evidence of the country’s "terrorist nature".

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He added that even if the attack were attributed to a technical error, it would demonstrate the limitations of US military technology.

“This war destroyed America’s false prestige, and people around the world and the awakened consciences of free nations can now see the realities more clearly,” Nikzad said.

Referring to Iranian armed forces' downing of US aircraft and targeting of sensitive military facilities, Nikzad questioned the effectiveness of US weapons and equipment.

“If your supposedly advanced aircraft are shot down, your sensitive facilities and equipment are hit, and, assuming your supposedly highly advanced missiles land 300 meters away at a wedding ceremony, it shows that the US president should focus less on the imaginary slogan of ‘Make America Great Again’ and more on how to cover up his humiliating defeats,” he said.

The US military struck the wedding at the home of fisherman Ali Mallahi around 8 to 9:30 p.m. last Tuesday as families gathered for his daughter’s ceremony. The attack, confirmed as a "direct hit" even by Western media, killed five people, including a six-year-old boy, and injured nearly 70 others. 

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