After the American and Iranian presidents engaged in a war of words, President Hassan Rouhani decided to step back, saying of Trump’s tweets, “There is no need to respond and go back and forth with them.” But then, just as there seemed to be a lull in tensions, Quds Force commander Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani addressed President Donald Trump directly.

During a July 26 speech in the city of Hamedan commemorating Operation Ramadan from the Iran-Iraq War, Soleimani directed his words at Trump over his threats, saying, “It is not at the level of our president to respond to you. I will respond to you as a soldier.” Quoting part of Trump’s tweet, Soleimani said, “You threaten us with action that has no precedence in history. This is the language of a cabaret. Only a cabaret owner talks like this with the world.”

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps leader continued, “What can you do that you haven’t done in the last 20 years? You came to Afghanistan with dozens of tanks and hundreds of helicopters and committed crimes. What have you done from 2001 to 2018 with 110,00 soldiers? Today you’re begging to have dialogue with the Taliban?”

Continuing on the point of American presence in Iraq and Afghanistan, Soleimani added, “Do you remember how you used to provide adult diapers for your soldiers in tanks and now you threaten us? What did you do in the 33-day war (between Israel and Lebanon)? Did you not accept Hezbollah’s terms for ending the war?” He also reminded Trump that it was American commanders at the time who asked Soleimani to use his influence in Iraq to stop attacks on US soldiers while they exited. Soleimani also said the United States and its allies, using the most advanced US weapons, have not been able to subdue Yemen and have turned the Red Sea, which was safe, into an unstable part of the world.