IRGC Quds Commander Threatens Region, Insults Women

Esmail Ghaani (Qaani), the commander of IRGC’s Quds (Qods) Force -- a division primarily responsible for extraterritorial military and clandestine operations – said on Tuesday that it won't be long before the Palestinians eventually rid their land from Israelis. 

He gave the warning at a ceremony held on the occasion of the first death anniversary of former Iranian ambassador to Yemen Hassan Irlou, who died in suspicious circumstances. 

He claimed that Israel is “desperate and under intense pressure” as 40 to 50 operations are carried out against their forces in the West Bank per day. 

Lacking a coherent argument about the recent antiregime protests, Ghaani delivered a speech full of contradictions, and people immediately started making fun of him on social media, saying he was under the influence of a stimulant drug. 

Despite the growing number of Iranian women who appear in public without the mandatory dress code, Ghaani said that “no decent woman has unveiled in public,” practically insulting a significant part of the population. His attack on women showed the degree of anger and frustration among Islamic Republic officials over the new status, when many women have challenged the regime. 

The popular rebellion against forced hijab has shaken the ideological foundations and of the regime and its perceived control over the population.

He also repeated the famous paradox often seen in the Islamic Republic rhetoric: Violence and unrest in Iran is instigated by the West, especially the US and Israel, but at the same time they are unable to do anything against the interests of the regime.

Referring to the targeted killing of his predecessor Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, who was killed by a US drone strike in Iraq in January 2020. Ghaani said the “Zionists will soon have to leave the occupied territories,” and warned Israelis to sell their houses and “leave Palestine. “ He added, “Today, we see that in the occupied territories, old Jewish figures have created organizations to [promote] leaving the occupied territories,” without citing any evidence.

No matter what is unfolding on the ground, the Islamic Republic authorities seem so clueless that they repeat the same rhetoric over and over. The entire country is gripped with the boldest challenge against the clerical regimesince 1979 and talks to revive .

The regime is also more isolated than ever in international arenas evident from its expulsion from the UN women’s body and an overwhelming unanimity to establish a fact-finding mission over its rights abuses, its long-time ally China is siding with its archnemesis Saudi Arabia and its partner Russia is competing with it to sell more oil to Iran’s buyers.

All of this is against the backdrop of regular strikes and protests by ordinary people as well as the elite who are fed up with the country’s lack of fundamental freedoms and dire economic situation. But the regime’s propaganda line does not change: The Supreme Leader claims the country is a regional powerhouse, and “Western imperialism” is on decline.