IRGC strategist proposes exporting “Sacred Defense” culture to proxies

Al-Arabia – Iran’s culture of “Sacred Defense” can be exported to all of Iran’s proxies in the region according to a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) strategist, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Friday.

“Today, what can be given to Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq and Ansar Allah in Yemen is the Sacred Defense culture,” said Hassan Abbasi, an IRGC officer who heads its strategic think tank the Center for Doctrinal Strategic Studies.

The “Sacred Defense” is a term used by Iran to refer to the eight-year-long war with Iraq. Iran celebrates “Sacred Defense Week” every year with military parades.

Abbasi claimed that its “Sacred Defense” culture has enabled it to stand up against the US.

He said: “Russia does not dare to down a US drone, and China cannot capture an American and make him kneel in front of them. During the Sacred Defense, a culture was formed in the country whereby we capture the American and he kneels in front of us, and we down their drone. Then, because there is nothing he can do about it, America’s president tweets 20 times in one week and resorts to making threats.”

He also said that the Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq have today become Iraq’s IRGC.

Abbasi claimed that Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force, has created a “Shiite NATO” in Syria.

“Shiites of the world gathered under the command of commander Qasem Soleimani and created a Shiite NATO in Syria and rescued 65 percent of Syria from under the control of ISIS,” he said.

Abbasi added that 2,300 Iranians who were sent to fight alongside Bashar Assad’s forces have been killed in Syria.

“The greatest thing that we can do for Syrians is to familiarise them with the Islamic Republic’s experience in the past 40 years,” he said.