Iran says elite brigade ready to repel any US ground invasion

A senior Iranian military official has stated that one of the country’s elite units is fully prepared to respond to any potential military scenario, including a possible US ground operation.

In an interview with Defa Press, Ahmad Reza Pourdastan, who heads the Strategic Studies Centre of Iran’s army, said the 65th Airborne Special Forces Brigade is at full combat readiness.

He argued that Washington is facing internal structural challenges and is attempting to shift the strategic environment in its favour, but warned that any ground invasion would fail from the outset.

“The United States is in a structural crisis and is trying to break out of a strategic deadlock by changing the rules of the game; however, any ground invasion is doomed to fail from the very beginning,” he said.

Pourdastan also claimed that US and Israeli intelligence had misjudged Iran’s military capabilities, both offensive and defensive, and that these miscalculations underpinned recent military actions whose consequences extend beyond West Asia and are being felt globally.

“US and Zionist regime intelligence assessments of Iran’s offensive and defensive capabilities were incorrect. It was these flawed data that formed the basis of the operation, the consequences of which are being felt not only in West Asia but across the world, creating serious challenges,” he said.

Addressing concerns over maritime security, he stressed that Iran does not intend to block the Strait of Hormuz and that shipping continues to pass through the waterway. At the same time, he indicated that alternative measures have been prepared in relation to Iran’s adversaries and their allies.

“Iran’s objective is not to blockade the Strait of Hormuz — traffic through it continues. Nevertheless, a different strategy has been developed for adversaries and the countries supporting them,” he added.

By Tamilla Hasanova