‘Iran capable of 6-month intense war’: IRGC warns US, Israel, says over 200 targets hit

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Sunday (Mar 8) said that Iran can continue an “intense war” with the United States and Israel for at least six months at the current pace of operation. The statement also added that they had targeted “more than 200” sites related to the US and Israel bases and facilities in the region.

“The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran are capable of continuing at least a 6-month intense war at the current pace of operations,” said Guards spokesperson Ali Mohammad Naini, according to Fars news agency.

This comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that his country will continue the war with Iran “with all our forces”. He added that Israel and the US had gained near-total control of the skies over Tehran.

On February 28, the US and Israeli military launched strikes on Iran, killing Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei and several other top Iranian officials. The operation was named ‘Epic Fury’ by the US and ‘Lion’s Roar’ by Israel. The attacks came amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran and ongoing talks over Iran’s nuclear program. In retaliation, Iran launched attacks on Israel and US military bases in the region, including in Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan.

A day earlier, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that his country will not surrender to the United States and Israel after the US President’s latest warning that there will be “no deal” with Tehran unless it agrees to an “unconditional surrender”. Iran’s enemies “must take their wish for the unconditional surrender of the Iranian people to their graves,” he said.

Pezeshkian also apologised to Gulf nations, saying that his country will not target its neighbours unless attacked. However, just hours before his statement was released on state broadcast TV, Tehran targeted the UAE, Qatar, and Iraq in attacks. However, just hours later, Iran’s hardline judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, who is also a member of the interim leadership council, said on Saturday that the Islamic Republic would continue targeting its regional neighbours, offering its enemies “points... used in aggression against our country”.

“Evidence from Iran’s armed forces shows that the geography of some countries in the region is openly and covertly at the disposal of the enemy,” said the judiciary chief.

“The heavy attacks on these targets will continue,” he added.

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, the US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.