BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 17. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed that it has downed more than 200 “enemy aircraft” since the beginning of the war.
The statement was made by IRGC Deputy Commander Major General Mostafa Izadi.
Izadi described the conflict as a “hybrid war” and said that Iran’s opponents had sought to destabilize the country both internally and through military operations.
He also rejected claims that the conflict had weakened Iran’s political system or could lead to the country’s fragmentation.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran was not only not divided, and the Islamic system was not only not weakened, but, on the contrary, the Islamic Republic has demonstrated that it is stronger and more determined than before in Iran,” Izadi said.
Earlier, tensions between the United States and Iran escalated again on July 8. On that day, US forces carried out several waves of strikes on Iranian territory, reportedly in response to an attack on a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, marking the first such action after the memorandum signed between Washington and Tehran. US President Donald Trump announced the termination of the ceasefire regime with Iran on the same day.
In response, Tehran began strikes against US facilities located in Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE and Oman. Iran has said that the Strait of Hormuz is currently closed.
