The deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps downplayed the risk of military conflict with the United States. Speaking at a June 27 IRGC ceremony introducing new commanders, Ali Fadavi said, “Despite the passing of 30 years since the end of the war [with Iraq] … no one has dared fire at us during this time.” He added, “The military strength of the Islamic Republic of Iran has resulted in America and its allies not daring to fire one bullet at us.”
Rather than a direct military conflict, however, Fadavi stressed that economic threats to Iran continue. “We still use a system that the Americans placed more than 40 years ago,” Fadavi said, stressing that Iran's economy is a vulnerable area in which the United States can gain influence.
