The US has warned the new Quds leader of meeting the same fate that his predecessor, General Qassem Soleimani, faced last month.
The statement came by the US special representative for Iran, Brian Hook, during an interview with a London-based Arabic newspaper.
Earlier in the month, the Quds leader, Qassem Soleimani, was killed in a drone by the orders of the US President.
Soon after the attacks, the succeeding head had vowed to retaliate against the US act of aggression. The threat was followed by the missile attacks at the two US military bases in Iraq.
“It’s not a Threat, But Safeguard of the Interests”
At the Davos Conference, the US special representative for Iran said, “if Esmail Ghaani continued the tradition of killing Americans, he would meet the same fate”.
During the interview, Brian Hook told the Arabic news that it is not a renewed threat. He said that “President Trump will do everything to safeguard the national interests… any attack on the US or against its interest will be met with a decisive response”.
Quds force is a wing of the Revolutionary Guards of Iran that is responsible for conducting the external operations.
Related: Trump’s compassion averts war with Iran
It was formed in 1979 during the Islamic revolution of Iran to safeguard the spirit of the revolution.
The Iranian Foreign Minister, Jawad Zarif, tweeted on Wednesday that Iran is ready to talk to its neighbors for regional peace. However, he did not comment on improving relations with the US.
Iran had vowed to avenge the killing of its most revered General. The threat was realized hours after his burial in the forms of missile attacks. US President had confirmed the attacks from Iran, adding that there was no casualty resulted.
Qassem Soleimani had been tasked to increase the Iranian influence in the middle east. He played a vital part in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen. The US-Iran relations have further deteriorated following his killing.
Who is the New Quds Leader?
Esmail Ghaani, 63, who succeeded the slain General as the new head of the Quds Force, was born in Mashhad. Like his predecessor, Ghaani also actively participated in the Iran-Iraq war that dominated the 1980s era.
Still, limited information is available regarding his earlier activities. However, it is believed Ghaani would safeguard the eastern territorial interests of Iran. Like, preventing the drugs smuggling and aiding the Northern Alliance against the Taliban.
US-Iran Row
The US-Iran relations worsened following the unilateral withdrawal of the US from the nuclear deal. Iran had agreed to a nuclear agreement in 2015 with the world powers to limit its stockpile of uranium in exchange for the partial lifting of oil ban.
However, the US withdrew from it in 2018 and again imposed the sanctions on Iran. It brought back the economic crisis in Iran as the sanctions also repelled foreign investment.
Iran has also announced to retract from its promises regarding its nuclear commitment.
Recently, US-Iran relations further deteriorated when the US killed Qassem Soleimani in a drone attack in Iraq.
President Trump defended the attack and called Soleimani a “monster,” while Iran announced three-day mourning over the killing of it most revered general.
During this tension, a Ukrainian plane became the victim of the hostilities between the two enemies. Iran initially denied the collateral damage that killed 176 people. However, three days later, Iran admitted to downing the plane terming it a “human error”.
