IRGC Qods Force Commander: US Wages Wars to Sell Military Equipment
Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Qods Force Commander Esmayeel Qaani said on Monday that Washington stirs conflicts across the globe to persuade other countries to purchase US-made weapons.
Qaani made the remarks at a ceremony in the capital Tehran in commemoration of martyrs of pro-resistance media outlets.
He dispelled the conventional and misguided notion that in order for a party to emerge victorious in a war, it needs more sophisticated weapons and greater financial resources.
“The global arrogance, led by the United States and the Zionist regime, has misinformed the world public opinion by alleging that whoever has more weapons, equipment and assets in a war would emerge as the winner. They are propagating the idea due to the fact that they make money out of arms deals,” the top commander stated.
“They used to wage wars across the globe in order to sell arms. All those who once claimed weapons and military gear would determine the fate of battles now admit that those who put on more resistance throughout a war come out victorious in the end,” he added.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the chief commander of the IRGC Quds Force said the enemies, frustrated with the failure of their plots against Iran, have resorted to extensive psychological operations as part of their hybrid war.
“Mainstream media are now under the control of enemies. Enemies have lately waged a hybrid war [against the Islamic Republic] after they suffered successive defeats. Media outlets, therefore, play a significant and integral role throughout this campaign and are widely employed for that purpose,” he continued.
Foreign Policy magazine reported in December that American weapons sales to NATO states nearly doubled in number and value in 2022. With the conflict in Ukraine draining European military stockpiles, the top US arms merchants have all seen their share prices skyrocket.
The US government approved 14 major arms sales to NATO members in 2021, totalling around $15.5 billion, the magazine stated, citing an analysis of Pentagon figures. By the end of 2022, it had approved 24 sales worth roughly $28 billion.
The US has in recent years approved several arms deal with its Middle East allies. Also, thousands of American troops are stationed in West Asia.
Washington is a major supplier of arms to Saudi Arabia who is currently embroiled in a war against Yemen. In addition to selling weapons to the Riyadh government, the US has also provided intelligence, fuel and other assistance to the bombing campaign.
Saudi Arabia launched a devastating war on Yemen in March 2015 in collaboration with its Arab allies and with arms and logistics support from the US, the UK and other Western states. While the Riyadh-led coalition has failed to meet its objectives, the war has killed hundreds of thousands of Yemenis and spawned the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
