TEHRAN, April 9 (Xinhua) -- A member of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said on Thursday that all affairs concerning the country's armed forces are being conducted under the supervision of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
Speaking anonymously to state-run IRIB TV while wearing a face mask and sunglasses, the representative from the IRGC's Aerospace Division said that Khamenei serves as the commander-in-chief of the Iranian armed forces.
He noted that "hard slaps" have been delivered to the United States and Israel, warning that "if necessary, we will give the enemy harder slaps in the face".
"Our fingers are on the trigger and we are ready to fire," he said, accusing enemies of seeking to sow discord among the Iranian people.
"We are watching all the enemy's movements, and the bank of targets is clear. We are standing firm and ready to sacrifice our lives," he added.
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. assets in the Middle East. A ceasefire was reached early Wednesday.
Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was selected as Iran's new supreme leader on March 8 by the Assembly of Experts, succeeding his father, who was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes at the start of the conflict.
Western media and some intelligence reports have circulated unverified claims that the new leader was injured during the attacks and could be unable to fully lead, though Iranian officials have offered limited confirmation that he sustained only minor wounds, and state media continue to publish statements attributed to him. ■
