Saudi Crown Prince and IRGC Leader Speak Out About Airstrikes, Israel

Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami speaks at Tehran's Islamic Revolution and Holy Defense museum on September 21, 2019. (Credit: Atta Kenare, AFP)

Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin-Salman publicly agreed with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a 60 Minutes interview that aired today, calling Iran's strike on Saudi oil facilities an "act of war." The Gulf kingdom's leader tempered his response, however, stating that all-out war with Iran would spike oil prices to "unimaginably high numbers" and instead favored diplomatic and economic measures over a military response to the attack.

A speech given by Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Hossein Salami also aired on Iranian media outlets today. General Salami's fiery rhetoric stood in stark contrast to the Saudi leader's cautious tone as he gloated that the IRGC has "managed to obtain the capacity to destroy the impostor Zionist [Israeli] regime." further stating that the State of Israel "must be wiped off the map and this is no longer … a dream...it is an achievable goal,” Salami's comments echo recent statements by other IRGC commanders in recent months, including threats to use Hezbollah to invade Israel, or to employ the regime's rockets to make Israelis "collect bits and pieces of Tel Aviv from the lower depths of the Mediterranean Sea," claiming that Iran has Israel surrounded "on four sides."

The Iranian regime has been employing bellicose language in public statements for decades, but the last few months has certainly seen an uptick in the frequency and hostility of their remarks. Insecurity regarding domestic unrest at home and a perception of their advantageous position abroad may both be contributing to this trend. These two primary factors of domestic trouble and regional posture are only exacerbated by each new layer of economic sanctions, which may eventually lead Iran to believe that a regional war with Israel and Saudi Arabia is preferable to the status quo. The genuine conviction of the ayatollahs in Tehran regarding their apocalyptic role in provoking the appearance of the Mehdi (Islamic messianic figure) and spreading their Islamic revolution across the Earth should also not be dismissed, or else world leaders who expect the regime to behave with political pragmatism may be taken by surprise when they take bolder and more decisive action against their enemies in the region.

As always, we ask our global partners to continue in prayer regarding these matters; that the designs of those who hate the covenant people would be exposed and thwarted, that world leaders would be granted wisdom and discernment in their decision-making, and that a divine hedge of protection would be placed around the people of the covenant, both Jew and gentile, including within Iran itself.

Shalom from Israel.

Sources: 

https://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-guards-chief-says-dest…/…

https://www.reuters.com/…/saudi-crown-prince-warns-of-escal…