Iran International
US President Joe Biden’s threat to resort to use force against Iran is the result of his “sleepiness”, the spokesman of Iran’s armed forces said on Friday.
Local media quoted Brigadier Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi as saying: “The use the phrase “resorting to force” by the "poor" American president and "the helpless" prime minister of the fake Zionist regime is an attempt at psychological warfare, delusion and sleepiness they are known for.”
The use of “sleepiness” by the Iranian official was a clear case of ‘plagiarism’ by the Iranian military spokesman taken from Tehran’s arch foe, former US President Donald Trump who called President Biden “sleepy Joe” during the last presidential campaign.
“The Americans and Zionists (Israel) know very well the price for using the word 'force against Iran,'" Shekarchi said.
"Biden must have been sleepy when he threatened Iran," he said, adding, "Watch your soldiers’ pants - they might get wet in the Persian Gulf!”
The Islamic Republic has tried to put a brave face during Biden’s regional tour, which started with the US President telling an Israeli television that he would be willing to use force against Iran “as a last resort”, if it tries to build nuclear weapons.
This clear statement showing his intention to strengthen ties with America’s traditional allies in the Middle East was followed by a Joint Declaration with Israel on July 14, giving a shared commitment to Israel’s military supremacy and preventing Iran from building nuclear weapons.
The declaration was followed by Israeli national security advisor Eyal Hulata telling Israel’s Channel 13 that his government will act as it sees fit regarding the Iranian threat. “We are not afraid to tell the Americans that we have differences of opinion with them, or that even inside Iran we carry out operations,” adding that Israel acts according to its own determinations.
Hulata came out openly acknowledging that Israel has carried out attacks inside Iran, especially “in the past one year”, insisting that the US “supports us” and Israel’s operation do not harm its relations with the US President.
Despite these statements, Iran’s foreign ministry showed a low-key reaction on Fridayto developments during Biden’s trip to Israel.
The ministry spokesman Naser Kanani wrote on Twitter that the United States issued a clear and lasting commitment to protect Israel and its military superiority, in the Joint Declaration. But he added, “Make no mistake. The target [of the declaration] is not just Iran, but all Arab and Muslim countries should accept Israel’s superiority.” He concluded, “Therefore, the main source of threat for the region is completely clear.”
The official government new website IRNA also argued that the US military guarantees to Israel are nothing new and come from the past decades.
Iran’s defiant foreign policy seems to be caught between two opposing forces. On the one hand officials, usually military commanders, issue strong statements and even threats, while sometimes others sound low-key or try to dispel the specter of a military threat and more isolation.
The reason is the country’s domestic economic crisis, that many recognize as the result of decades of anti-West and anti-Israel policies. The social and economic crisis has reached a point that some officials sometimes try not to anger the people by more bellicose postures.
Nevertheless, IRNA called the US-Israeli declaration an “anti-Iranian” statement, denying that Tehran poses any threat to regional countries to warrant a US policy of fostering an alliance among its allies.
But Tehran is continuing uranium enrichment and is said to have enough fissile material at this point to produce a nuclear weapon, while more than a year of nuclear talks with the US have remained stalled.
