Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Iran’s parliament speaker, on Sunday warned the United States against a ground invasion, threatening to set American troops “on fire” and step up attacks on U.S. allies, according to Iranian official media.
Qalibaf said Iranian forces are “waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional partners forever.”
He added: “Our firing continues. Our missiles are in place. Our determination and faith have increased.”
He described the U.S.’s 15-point plan, which Pakistan passed to Iran last week, as “their wishes” and said the Trump administration is attempting to do through the plan what it has failed to achieve by force.
“As long as the Americans seek Iran’s surrender, our response is clear: Far be it from us to accept humiliation,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Revolutionary Guard threatened to target branches of Israeli and American educational facilities in the region, calling them “legitimate targets” if the U.S. does not condemn the bombing of Iranian universities.
“If the U.S. government wants its universities in the region spared, it should condemn the bombardment of (Iranian) universities by 12 o’clock Monday, March 30, in an official statement,” the Guard said in a statement, according to state media.
The guard urged the evacuation of American and Israeli educational facilities and told students and staff to stay at least one kilometer away.
The Guard also demanded that the U.S. stop Israel from striking Iranian universities and research centers, which have been attacked in recent days. Israel’s military has acknowledged striking Iranian universities it says are connected to weapons development.
American colleges, including Georgetown, New York University and Northwestern, have campuses in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
This is the first time Iran has threatened to strike Israeli and American universities.
CBS/AP
