Iran’s Ghaani says 'Zionist regime' has difficult days ahead
Ghaani is an expert on Afghanistan and has been slow to fill the shoes of Soleimani.
By SETH J. FRANTZMANBrigadier General Esmail Ghaani, the newly appointed commander of the country's Quds Force, is seen in Tehran, Iran, in this undated picture obtained January 3, 2020(photo credit: TASNIM NEWS AGENCY/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)Iran’s head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, Esmail Ghaani, slammed the US and Israel and said both countries would be punished and that only “difficult” days are ahead.He praised a fire aboard a US ship, the USS Bonhomme Richard, as divine punishment. “America lit a fire and today is on fire,” he said.Ghaani became head of the Quds Force after the US killed Qasem Soleimani in January. Soleimani was one of Iran’s most well-known commanders, responsible for supporting Iran’s actions from Lebanon to Yemen, Syria and Iraq. Iran has vowed revenge since his killing.Ghaani is an expert on Afghanistan and has been slow to fill the shoes of Soleimani. He has visited Syria once and Iraq at least twice in visits largely considered ineffectual. He now wants to make his mark. Asked about the fire on the US warship, which has burned for two days and is a major setback for the US Navy, he said it was divine punishment.“Americans shouldn’t blame others, this is the fire they lit,” Ghaani said.He added that Iran and the IRGC Quds Force were warning America that hard days are ahead. This appears to be a cryptic threat.It is in this context that he also mentioned the “Zionist regime.” He said the US military is tired and worn out and that US ships are just scraps of iron. Iran has warned that it could retaliate for recent mysterious explosions that affected its Natanz nuclear enrichment facility.
