Iran's Navy Fires A Missile At A Mock-Up US Aircraft Carrier In The Strait of Hormuz

Times of Israel: Iranian Guards fire missile at mock aircraft carrier amid US tensions

Iran releases video showing military exercises held by paramilitary force in Strait of Hormuz, where American aircraft carrier passed through last week

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard fired a missile from a helicopter targeting a replica aircraft carrier in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, state television reported on Tuesday, an exercise aimed at threatening the US amid tensions between Tehran and Washington.

The drill, in a waterway through which 20 percent of all traded oil passes, underlines the lingering threat of military conflict between Iran and the US after last summer saw a series of incidents targeting oil tankers in the region. In January, a US drone strike killed a top Iranian general in Baghdad and Tehran responded by firing ballistic missiles targeting American forces in Iraq.

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More News On Iran's Navy Shooting A Missile At A Mock-Up US Aircraft Carrier In The Strait of Hormuz

Iran fires missile at mock aircraft carrier resembling U.S. warship -- CBS/AP
Iran targets dummy US aircraft carrier in Gulf exercises -- AFP
Watch Iran fire missile & overtake mock US aircraft carrier during Strait of Hormuz war games (VIDEO) -- RT
Iran's navy shoots missile at mock-up of US aircraft carrier in the Strait of Hormuz -- USA Today
Iran Fires Missile at Mock Aircraft Carrier Amid US Tensions -- Military.com/Canadian Press
Iran holds annual Gulf drill amid rising tensions with U.S. -- Reuters
Iran's IRGC Launches Exercises Near Key Waterway For Oil Transport -- RFE
IRGC fires long-range ballistic missiles in war game -- Tehran Times
IRGC Stages Massive War Game South of Iran -- Tasnim News Agency
Iran Looks Set To Blow Up Its Fake Aircraft Carrier Again -- Warzone/The Drive

Top Iranian Commander Reported Killed In Syria

Times of Israel: Senior commander in Iran’s Quds Force reported killed in Aleppo battle

Asghar Pashapour, who was close to Soleimani, was said to be at the forefront of Revolutionary Guards’ operations against anti-Assad rebels.

A top commander in Iran’s Quds Force who was close to its slain leader, Qassem Soleimani, has died in battle in Syria, according to multiple reports in Iranian and Arab media.

Asghar Pashapour, a senior member of the Revolutionary Guards’ extraterritorial force, was killed Sunday in battle with Syrian opposition forces in Aleppo, the reports said.

He is said to have been at the forefront of the Quds Force’s operations against anti-regime rebels in Syria, where Iran has been a key backer of President Bashar Assad since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011.

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Update #1: Head Of Iran's IRGC Operations In Syria Killed Near Aleppo (Zero Hedge)
Update #2: Quds Force special operation commander killed in Aleppo (AMN)

WNU Editor: If the above photo is any indication of his height, he is a very big guy.

Was The Strike On Saudi Oil Facilities A Power Play By Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps?

From left: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin prior to a trilateral meeting on Syria in Ankara on Monday. Photo: AFP

David P. Goldman and Uwe Parpart, Asia Times: Ankara summit might have motivated Iran’s drone attack

Strike on Saudi oil facilities could have been a power play by Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps

After bilateral talks between Russian President Putin and Turkish President Erdogan and Erdogan and Iranian President Rouhani in Ankara in the course of the day, the three presidents met on Monday night for the fifth summit under the Astana Process to discuss joint steps toward a political solution to the nine-year turmoil in Syria.

Given the frantic actionism and theatrical threats following the Saturday attacks on Saudi oil facilities that go for US diplomatic activity and military planning these days, Syria will not have been the only item on the three leaders’ agenda.

Indeed, Russian and Turkish pressure on Iran’s President Rouhani to withdraw Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps forces from Syria might have motivated Saturday’s drone and/or cruise missile attack on Saudi oil production plants, strategic analysts in several countries believe. The IRGC may have instigated the attacks to preempt a deal that would have reduced its forces in Syria after a bloody multi-year campaign against Sunni rebels backed by Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

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WNU Editor: It is hard not to believe that Iran was involved in Saturday's military strike on Saudi Arabia's oil infrastructure. The intelligence that needed to be gathered and the weapons that needed to be used .... it screams Iran in every way. In that case, the only group in Iran that is capable of conducting such an operation are the Revolutionary Guards. As to why would the Iranian Revolutionary Guards green light the operation .... I think the reasons are many. There is the geopolitical one (as described by the above post), but the growing unrest in Iran may have been another motivation for the IRGC to conduct this strike in order to divert Iranians away from focusing on their tough times. And if the news from the Middle East is any indication, I would say that it is working.

U.S. Offering $15 Million For Information That Can Help Disrupt Financing For Iran's Revolutionary Guards

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attends a graduation ceremony at the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ academy, Imam Hossein University. (Photo: Office of the Supreme Leader)

The Hill: Trump administration offering $15M for information to disrupt financing for Iran's Revolutionary Guards

The Trump administration is offering a reward of up to $15 million for information that can help disrupt the financial apparatus of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

The State Department through its Rewards for Justice program is offering the funds for information on the revenue sources of the military unit, which the Trump administration sanctioned as a foreign terrorist organization in April, according to details obtained by The Hill. This includes information on the financial sources of the IRGC-Qods Force.

The administration is also seeking information on illicit oil-for-money schemes by the group; entities or individuals assisting it in evading U.S. or international sanctions; financial institutions working with the Revolutionary Guard and other topics related to the financial mechanisms of the Iranian military unit.

The State Department announced the reward at a briefing late Wednesday morning.

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Update: Here is a book that provides a good start on the financial empire behind the Iran's Revolutionary Guards .... The Rise of Iran's Revolutionary Guards' Financial Empire: How the Supreme Leader and the IRGC Rob the People to Fund International Terror (Amazon).

Former Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Official: ‘We Trained al-Qaeda Fighters’

Iranian Revolutionary Guards. Reuters

Clarion Project: Retired IRGC Official: ‘We Trained al-Qaeda Fighters’

A former spokesman for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) revealed a level of cooperation between Iran and al-Qaeda which previously remained under wraps, Al Arabiya reported.

Said Qasemi, now retired, said Iran sent IRGC soldiers to Bosnia and Herzegovina disguised as humanitarian workers from the Iranian branch of the Red Crescent (part of the International Red Cross) to train al-Qaeda fighters who ran an operational base in the Balkan country.

Just last month, the Trump administration designated the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization.

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Update: More evidence emerges of Iran-Al Qaeda ties (FOX News)

WNU Editor: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards were finally labelled as a terror group by the U.S.. Why it took so long is something that I will never understand.

U.S. Designates Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps As A Foreign Terrorist Organization

CNN: Trump designates elite Iranian military force as a terrorist organization

President Donald Trump announced Monday the US will formally designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

"This unprecedented step, led by the Department of State, recognizes the reality that Iran is not only a State Sponsor of Terrorism, but that the IRGC actively participates in, finances, and promotes terrorism as a tool of statecraft," Trump said in a statement that described the IRGC as "the Iranian government's primary means of directing and implementing its global terrorist campaign."

Iran warned this weekend that if the US went ahead with the designation, Tehran would retaliate by designating the US military as a terrorist organization in return.

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More News On The U.S. Designating Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps As A Foreign Terrorist Organization

The Latest: Iran wants US Mideast forces labeled ‘terrorist’ -- AP
US declares Iran’s guard force a ‘terrorist organization’ -- AP
U.S. designates Iran's Revolutionary Guards a terrorist group -- Reuters
Revolutionary Guard Corps: US labels Iran force as terrorists -- BBC
Trump designates Iran's Revolutionary Guard a 'foreign terrorist organization' -- FOX News
Trump administration designates Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a 'foreign terrorist organization' -- ABC News
US brands Iran's Revolutionary Guard a 'foreign terrorist organization' -- DW
U.S. labels Iran Revolutionary Guard as 'terrorist' group -- UPI
US labels Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard Corps a 'terror group' -- Al Jazeera
U.S. designation of Iran's Guards is illegal: Iranian state TV -- Reuters

U.S. To Designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps As A Foreign Terrorist Organization

Members of the Iranian revolutionary guard march during a parade to commemorate the anniversary of the Iran-Iraq war (1980-88), in Tehran September 22, 2011. REUTERS/Stringer

Middle East Eye: US to place Iran's Revolutionary Guards on terrorist list: Report

Top White House officials endorse designation as senior military officials caution against it.

The United States will designate Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation, an unprecedented move that will ramp up pressure on the elite force, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

The newspaper, citing unidentified officials, said President Donald Trump's administration will announce the decision as soon as Monday and that concerned defence officials were bracing for the impact.

The officials told the WSJ that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and White House National Security Adviser John Bolton, who have repeatedly railed against Iran, are strong proponents of the designation.

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WNU Editor: Iran's response is that they will label the U.S. Army as a terrorist organization .... Iran To Blacklist US Army If It Declares Guards As Terrorists: Lawmaker (NDTV/Reuters). Even the Pentagon and the CIA are getting involved, expressing worries that the White House is deliberately increasing tensions with Iran .... Pentagon and CIA officials fear that the White House is about to escalate tension with Iran (The Week). I find that view odd, especially in view of Iran's long history of deliberately increasing tensions with the U.S. and its allies in the Middle East.

More News On Reports That The U.S. Will Designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps As A Foreign Terrorist Organization

U.S. to designate elite Iranian force as terrorist organization -- Reuters
US expected to designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization -- CNN
US said set to declare Iran’s Revolutionary Guards a terrorist group -- Times of Israel/AFP
US poised to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization -- Washington Examiner
US may declare Iran’s Revolutionary Guard a ‘terrorist organization’ just ahead of Israeli elections -- RT

Is The Iranian Government Cracking Down On The The Power And Influence Of The Iranian Revolutionary Guards?

New York Times: Iran Saps Strength of Revolutionary Guards With Arrests and Cutbacks

TEHRAN — From its nine-story headquarters in an upscale neighborhood of Tehran, a giant construction company directs its operations across Iran, building mosques, airports, oil and gas installations, hospitals, and skyscrapers.

Armed guards stand watch at the doors, and small posters on its exterior walls honor Iranians who have died in the current wars in Syria and Iraq.

But this is not just any company. Khatam-al Anbiya, whose name means “seal of the prophet,” is the most important economic arm of Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. It employs nearly 1.5 million people, including subcontractors, and is led by a military commander.

Yet the company’s outward signs of strength belie the powerful currents of change that are eroding its business. A crackdown is being led by Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, who ran for office promising to unleash economic growth by completing a nuclear deal and freeing the country from international sanctions.

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WNU Editor: I can only hope that this New York Times report is accurate. But Iran's Evolutionary Guards have a lot of supporters, and they have a lot of influence throughout the country. Curtailing its power and influence is not going to be easy.

White House Considering Labelling The Muslim Brotherhood And Iran’s Revolutionary Guard As Terror Groups

Members of the Iranian revolutionary guard march during a parade to commemorate the anniversary of the Iran-Iraq war (1980-88), in Tehran, Iran, September 22, 2011. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

Reuters: White House weighs designating Iran’s Revolutionary Guard a terrorist group

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is considering a proposal that could lead to potentially designating Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter.

The officials said several U.S. government agencies have been consulted about such a proposal, which if implemented would add to measures the United States has already imposed on individuals and entities linked to the IRGC.

The IRGC is by far Iran’s most powerful security entity, which also has control over large stakes in Iran’s economy and huge influence in its political system.

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More News On The White House Considering Labelling The Muslim Brotherhood And Iran’s Revolutionary Guard As Terror Groups

U.S. Weighs Terror Label on Iran Revolutionary Guard, Muslim Brotherhood -- WSJ
White House May Name Muslim Brotherhood and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Terror Groups -- NYMag
Washington Finally Serious About Designating Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps as Terrorists -- Algemeiner
WH considers labeling Muslim Brotherhood a terror group: report -- The Hill
White House Weighs Terrorist Designation for Muslim Brotherhood -- New York Times
Calling the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group would hurt all American Muslims -- Arjun Singh Sethi, Washington Post

Will Iran's Revolutionary Guards Be The Deciding Factor On Who Will Be The Country's 'Supremem Leader'?

Members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards march during a military parade to commemorate the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war in Tehran September 22, 2007. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl/File Photo

Reuters: Iran's Revolutionary Guards position for power

Iran's Revolutionary Guards look set to entrench their power and shift the country to more hardline, isolationist policies for years to come following the death of influential powerbroker Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

Former president Rafsanjani long had a contentious relationship with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is both the strongest military force in Iran and also has vast economic interests worth billions of dollars.

With a presidential election in May and a question mark over the health of Iran's most powerful figure, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, analysts say the Guards will soon have opportunities to tighten their grip on the levers of power.

Rafsanjani, who died on Sunday aged 82, had criticized the Guards' expanding economic interests, which range from oil and gas to telecommunications and construction, their role in the crackdown on protests after disputed 2009 presidential elections and the country's missile program which the Guards oversee.

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WNU Editor: This talk from the West about Iran's Revolutionary Guards reminds me of the same discussions that were made on the role of the KGB/military/etc. when the Soviet Union still existed. These Soviet institutions did have an influence, but in the end it was always the Communist Party's hierarchy that decided who was going to be in the Politburo and its leader. Same for China .... and I can only assume that in the case of Iran .... the country's religious leaders will be the deciding factor on who will become Supreme leader when that day finally arrives.

Iran Military Leader: Revolutionary Guard Fighters Will Be In The U.S. And Europe Very Soon

Iranian Revolutionary Guards. Reuters

Washington Free Beacon: Military Leader: Iran Sending Elite Fighters Into U.S., Europe

IRGC commander: 'IRGC will be in the U.S. and Europe very soon'.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, the country’s elite military force, is sending assets to infiltrate the United States and Europe at the direction of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to recent Farsi-language comments from an Iranian military leader.

The IRGC “will be in the U.S. and Europe very soon,” according to the Iranian military commander, who said that these forces would operate with the goal of bolstering Iran’s hardline regime and thwarting potential plots against the Islamic Republic.

“The whole world should know that the IRGC will be in the U.S. and Europe very soon,” Salar Abnoush, deputy coordinator of Iran’s Khatam-al-Anbia Garrison, an IRGC command front, was quoted as saying in an Iranian state-controlled publication closely tied to the IRGC.

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WNU Editor: If true .... this is a huge story. But .... no one else in the media is covering this story (so far).

Will The Lifting Of Sanctions Benefit Iran's Revolutionary Guards?

Members of the revolutionary guard attend the anniversary ceremony of Iran's Islamic Revolution at the Khomeini shrine in the Behesht Zahra cemetery, south of Tehran, February 1, 2012. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi

Reuters: Iran's elite Guards to gain regional, economic power in post-sanctions era

Iran's Revolutionary Guards did well under international sanctions, and the elite military force is destined to become still richer now they've been lifted.

Iran's clerical rulers have supported economic growth of the Guards, rewarding the group for sanctions-busting as well as suppressing dissent at home and helping Tehran's allies abroad - notably Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Now the country is expecting an economic boom in the post-sanctions era and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), will be a beneficiary. Likewise, the leadership will ensure it is well funded to continue the effort in the regional crisis, including the Syrian civil war.

The Guards aren't entirely off the hook, even though the United States, European Union and United Nations lifted most sanctions on Saturday under a deal with world powers where Tehran agreed to curbs on its nuclear program.

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WNU Editor: We in the West talk about the military industrialized complex .... the Iranian Revolutionary Guards practice it in Iran.

Are Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Commanders Refusing To Fight In Syria?

Members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards take part in a military parade to commemorate the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war in Tehran. (photo credit:REUTERS)

Asharq Al-Awsat: Mutiny within Iran’s Revolutionary Guard after it incurs heavy losses in Syria: source

Several high-ranking generals killed in Aleppo since October

Tehran and London, Asharq Al-Awsat—A rising death toll within Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Syria is leading to a mutiny among some senior commanders, who have refused to obey orders to fight in the war-torn country, according to a source close to the Revolutionary Guard.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Asharq Al-Awsat the commanders, who are also joined by a number of junior officers, have now been referred to a court-marshal on charges of “mutiny and treason.”

Iran, which alongside Russia is Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s main international ally, has denied it has combat troops in Syria, claiming it has only sent officers and generals within an advisory capacity to assist both the Syrian army and Hezbollah militias.

Update #1:  IRGC Brings Mutiny Charges Against Senior Commanders Refusing to Fight in Syria -- Washington Free Beacon
Update #2; Iranian commanders refuse orders to fight in Syria, report says -- Jerusalem Post
Update #3: Iranian losses in Syria 'triggering mutiny' -- Arutz Sheva

WNU Editor: I am sceptical of the sources used for this report .... but are some IRGC commander's rebelling? Hmmmm .... I doubt that the commanders are rebelling .... it would be so "out of character".

Iran's Revolutionary Guards To Benefit Greatly From Sanctions Relief

In this file photo released by the official website of the Iranian supreme leader's office on Monday, May 27, 2013, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, foreground right, attends a graduation ceremony of a group of Revolutionary Guard members, in Tehran, Iran. Office of the Supreme Leader of Iran

Reuters: Firms linked to Revolutionary Guards to win sanctions relief under Iran deal

Dozens of companies tied to Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, a military force commanding a powerful industrial empire with huge political influence, will win sanctions relief under a nuclear deal agreed with world powers.

The development is likely to anger critics of the accord, not least in the United States and Israel, but may be welcomed by Iranians eager for Iran to reopen to the outside world. The IRGC will act for Western firms in many ways as a gatekeeper to some of the most lucrative areas of Iran's economy.

Such is the clout of companies with ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), which sees itself as the defender of Iran's Islamic revolutionary ideals and bulwark against U.S. influence, that their release from financial curbs could of itself help ease return of swathes of the economy to the mainstream of world trade.

WNU Editor: This Reuters post tries to find a silver lining on how sanctions relief for companies and institutions controlled by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards may actually be a good thing. I am however not that optimistic.

Commander Of Iran's Elite Revolutionary Guards: Iranian President Rouhani Should Not Have Talked To President Obama

Commander Of Iran's Elite Revolutionary Guards: Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari. Tasmin News Agency

Iran Guards chief: Rouhani should have spurned Obama call -- Daily Star

TEHRAN: The commander of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards said Monday that President Hasan Rouhani should have refused to take last week's historic telephone call from US counterpart Barack Obama.

"The president took a firm and appropriate position during his stay" in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, General Mohammad Ali Jafari said in an interview with the Tasnimnews.com website.

"But just as he refused to meet Obama, he should also have refused to speak with him on the telephone and should have waited for concrete action by the United States."

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More News On The Commander Of Iran's Elite Revolutionary Guards Criticizing recent Talks Between Iran And The U.S.

IRGC Commander Lauds Rouhani’s "Mighty" Stances in New York -- Tasmin News Agency
Iran Guards chief criticises Rouhani-Obama call -- FOX News/AFP
Revolutionary Guards chief: Rouhani should have waited to talk to Obama -- Jerusalem Post
Revolutionary Guards chief decries Rouhani’s talk with Obama -- Times of Israel
Rouhani should have spurned Obama call - Iran Guards chief -- Voice of Russia

My Comment: For the moment .... the Iranian Guards Chief's remarks are a minority .... it appears that after years of anti-Americanism, Tehran’s political establishment signals support for detente -- Washington Post

Update: Even Ahmadinejad is sort of happy about Iran’s opening with Obama -- Max Fisher, Washington Post

Who's Really The Boss In Iran?

Who’s The Boss? -- Washington Free Beacon

Expert: Iran’s military has trumped its religious apparatus

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei “has become a hostage” of an elite branch of Iran’s army that has quietly consolidated its economic and political power, a top analyst said Tuesday.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) appears to have supplanted Khamenei and other top clerics in a significant power shift that has left Iran a “military dictatorship,” according to Ali Alfoneh, who has spent years investigating the IRGC.

Khamenei “has become a hostage in the hands of his own praetorian guard,” Alfoneh said Tuesday during a discussion hosted by the American Enterprise Institute.

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My Comment: I disagree with this analysis. I just do not see the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps being in a position to dictate to the clergy on what to do .... and even if they tried, I doubt that the mullahs will give up power so easily. What we actually have is a co-existence .... both groups are dependent on the other to maintain their power and influence.

Iranian Revolutionary Guard General Assassinated In Syria

Iran's ambassador to Lebanon Ghazanfar Roknabadi (l.) accepts condolences for the death of Hessam Khoshnevis, Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander in charge of Tehran's reconstruction assistance in Lebanon, at the Iranian Embassy in Beirut February 14, 2013. Sharif Karim/REUTERS

Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander Killed In Syria: Rebel Claim -- Christian Science Monitor/Reuters

Tehran strongly backs Assad regime but claims no military support, says Guard commander was civil engineer in Lebanon.

An Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander has been killed inside Syria by rebels battling Iran's close ally President Bashar al-Assad, Iranian officials and a rebel leader said on Thursday .

Syrian rebels have repeatedly accused Tehran of sending fighters to help Assad crush the 22-month-old uprising, a charge Iran has denied.

The Iranian embassy in Lebanon said the dead man, Hessam Khoshnevis, was in charge of Tehran's reconstruction assistance in Lebanon. It said he was killed by "armed terrorist groups," a label used by the Syrian government to describe Assad's foes, on the road to Lebanon as he returned from Damascus.

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More News On Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander Killed In Syria

Iranian general reportedly assassinated while traveling from Syria -- L.A. Times
Iranian official killed leaving Syria: embassy -- Reuters
Iranian General Is Killed in Syria -- Wall Street Journal
A senior Iranian commander reportedly killed by Syrian rebels -- Haaretz
Lebanon: Hezbollah-owned TV station says senior Iranian official killed -- FOX News/AP
Iran Holds Funeral for Guards Commander Killed on Way to Beirut -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Assassinated Iranian official had dual identity, Lebanese sources say -- Haaretz
Iranian official killed in Lebanon buried in Tehran -- YNet News

Meet The Iranian General Who Will Be In Charge If War Breaks Out Against Iran

Gen. Qasem Soleimani is the commander of Iran’s Quds Force and reports directly to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. (File photo)

Iran’s Master of Iraq Chaos Still Vexes U.S. -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — When a senior Iraqi intelligence official traveled to Tehran in the summer of 2007 to meet with the Iranian leadership, he quickly figured out who was in charge of Iran’s policy toward its neighbor to the west.

It was not the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. It was Qassim Suleimani, the shadowy commander of Iran’s paramilitary Quds Force, who calmly explained that he was the “sole authority for Iranian actions in Iraq,” according to an account the Iraqi official later provided to American officials in Baghdad.

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Previous Post: Meet The U.S. General Who Will Be In Charge If Iran Decides To Start A War

My Comment: This is one very dangerous and lethal foe.

Iran's Quds Force To Focus On Neighboring States

Iran’s Supreme Guide Ali Khamenei fears a possible military strike against Tehran by Israel. (Reuters)

Iran’s Supreme Guide Orders Quds Force To Focus On Neighboring States: Source -- Al Arabiya

Iran’s Supreme Guide Ali Khamenei gave his instructions to the country’s Revolutionary Guard, and all its affiliated units, especially the Quds Force, to stop their activities worldwide, especially in Africa and Latin America, and to focus on the neighboring countries, Al Arabiya reported on Friday, citing a source at the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

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My Comment: Of course there are no details on what this "focus" entails.

Is Iran's Qassem Suleimani The World's Most Dangerous Terrorist?

Blood on his hands: Qassem Suleimani, head of the Quds Force of Iran's Revolutionary Guard

Europe’s A Soft Touch For The World’s Most Dangerous Terrorist -- The Telegraph

The EU must respond to the deadly threat posed by Iran and Hizbollah.

Now that Osama bin Laden is at the bottom of the ocean, a new man has emerged as the world’s most dangerous terrorist: Qassem Suleimani. Although unfamiliar to most in the West, he is responsible for killing many thousands in cold blood – and masterminding the murder of more Americans than any other person on earth.

Suleimani heads the Quds Force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard – the nerve centre of its global terrorist network. Working with Hizbollah in Lebanon, he has plotted, attempted and executed mass murder in dozens of countries.

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My Comment: My experience with Europe is that it takes forever for them to change their policies. But more news reports like this one will probably help to change it.