Following are excerpts from an interview with Brigadier-General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, which aired on Al-Alam TV on September 23, 2012.
Click here to view this clip on MEMRI TV.
Amir Ali Hajizadeh: "If we sense that the [Israelis] want to attack us, we will not allow them to surprise us.
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"We will definitely deliver painful strikes right from the start. How exactly? This is up to us. We will be the ones controlling the battle and we will strive to annihilate them, but we will not reveal how, because this has to do with our secret plans.
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"I believe that you cannot separate an Iranian war with the Zionist entity from an Iranian war with the U.S. If either of them starts a war, it will embroil the other in it.
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"We do not believe that the Zionist entity would dare to attack us without coordination with and the support of the U.S. We know that the two are one. This may take minutes or hours, but ultimately, we will enter a war with both – especially if we attack the U.S. bases. We will see the US standing by the Zionist entity. I don't believe that the small Zionist entity is capable of fighting us without U.S. support.
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"This war might evolve into a third world war. Other countries may get involved in the war either alongside Iran or against it. The U.S. bases located in neighboring countries will also be targeted.
"In addition, the peoples of those countries will revolt. A few days ago, they went to one of the American bases and destroyed six airplanes. That was the reaction of the peoples. This is not a minor thing. There will be many similar acts. The anti-American peoples in those countries will react by killing U.S. soldiers and burning American equipment.
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"Do not think that if this war takes place, the countries in the region will declare neutrality. Absolutely not. It will definitely become a third world war.
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"We consider the U.S. bases to be on U.S. soil and not on the soil of Qatar, Bahrain, or Afghanistan. We consider these bases to be American soil, American targets. If we find ourselves in a conflict with the U.S., they will definitely be targeted.
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"If the day comes when we are prevented from benefitting from the [Hormuz] Strait, we will not allow the U.S. or other countries to benefit from it."
