IRGC chief plays down threats of military action against Iran

“Military threats raised by the enemies are not very serious and are hollow and we have the power to respond to them," Ja’fari told a group of students in Tehran on Friday.

The IRGC commander said the enemies were more focused on undermining Iran through their “soft war”.

“Threats and sanctions today by the enemies have reached their heights," he said. "However, the only threat that they would not put into action is the military one because if they carry out a military aggression, it would entail huge costs for them." 

General Ja'fari's remarks come in the wake of US President Donald Trump's harsh rhetoric on Sunday, threatening Iran with hardship "the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered before."

Trump pulled the US out of a landmark nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers in May and pledged to impose the most crippling sanctions on the Islamic Republic.   

The remarks also came after Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull rejected reports on Friday that his country would help US attack Iran’s nuclear facilities within a month, saying the entire story, published by the ABC, was pure “speculation”.

“The story on the ABC, which cites senior Australian government sources, has not benefited from any consultation with me, the foreign minister, the defense minister or the chief of the defense force,” Turnbull told ABC radio, adding, “So perhaps you should inquire of the authors of the article.”

Gen. Ja'fari said Iran's enemies were trying to spread disappointment among the nation through a disinformation campaign, stressing that the efforts were futile because of the awareness of the people and the officials.