Khamenei's Special Military Advisor General Yahya Safavi: Our Scope of Defense Stretches from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean

Former IRGC Commander-in-Chief General Yahya Safavi, who currently serves as Supreme Leader Khamenei's Special Military Advisor, said in a September 23, 2019 interview on Channel 2 TV (Iran) that Iran's military strategy has changed over the past two years because Iran has acquired a "deep defense strategy" that spans from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean and that involves Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. He explained that Iran's strategic navy is in the Indian Ocean and that Hizbullah is right next to Israel, which he said has played a role in economic, political, and domestic conspiracies against Iran. In addition, General Safavi said that Iran's scope of defense has expanded to tens of thousands of kilometers past its borders and that it includes powerful long-range missiles. He added that Iran's military men want to make sure that war does not break out. For related statements by General Safavi, see MEMRI TV Clip No. 7497.

Following are excerpts:

Interviewer: Has our military strategy changed in the past year or two?

General Yahya Safavi: Yes. We have acquired a deep defense strategy. We used to defend our borders from within the limits of our land, but now we have expanded the borders of our defense all the way to the Mediterranean Sea. In other words, the Iran-Iraq-Syria-Lebanon axis has reached the Mediterranean Sea by the establishment of Hizbullah in Lebanon and by confronting the threat of the Zionist regime that wants to annihilate Iran.  [Israel] has played a part in all the economic and political conspiracies, and even in the conspiracies against our domestic security. Who assassinated our nuclear scientists? The Zionist regime did. They admitted this. Now, the Lebanese Hizbullah is right next to the Zionists. The courageous commander of Hizbullah, sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, said: "If you endanger Iran in any way, the whole region will confront you." This was a major statement. A few days ago, I said during the Tehran Friday sermon that the Americans should take Nasrallah's words seriously. Look, our defense has now become deep. Our force of defense has reached the Mediterranean Sea, and it stretches from the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean. The strategic navy of the Islamic Republic is now in the Indian Ocean. You see? We expanded our scope of defense to tens of thousands of kilometers beyond our borders. The powerful missiles produced by the Islamic Republic can reach thousands of kilometers further, in case the enemy decides to cause any problem for us.

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We, the military men, understand war better than the politicians do, because we have been to war. More than the politicians, we want to make sure no war breaks out.  Even before a war, the economy and the management of our country and society is not that satisfactory.