to report «iusnews»; Major General Ahmad Vahidi, commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said in a message Friday that Iranian forces had "brought the world's most heavily armed military to its knees" over six months of fighting, in remarks marking the start of the Islamic month of Rabi al-Awwal.
Addressing IRGC personnel, army troops, police, the Basij and border forces, Vahidi praised their endurance through harsh conditions, including intense heat and humidity on Iran's southern islands and coast and cold weather in the northern border highlands, along with successful offensive and defensive operations carried out under heavy fire.
Vahidi drew a comparison to Iran's eight-year war with Iraq in the 1980s and thanked the families of those who fought. He offered condolences and well wishes for the new Islamic month, and voiced hope that the war's toll on the region, particularly Gaza and Lebanon, would soon end.
Vahidi was appointed IRGC commander in March, days after his predecessor, Mohammad Pakpour, was martyred in a strike at the outset of the war that the United States and the Israeli regime launched against Iran in February.
