Defiant Iran promises to continue fighting ‘until complete victory,’ despite heavy military losses

(SeaPRwire) –   A spokesman for Iran’s military defiantly pledged on Tuesday that Tehran’s armed forces will keep fighting “until complete victory,” despite enduring heavy losses from the joint U.S. and Israeli campaign. 

The statement from Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi—of the Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters, Iran’s top military command—comes after President Donald Trump paused planned U.S. strikes on Iran on Monday, citing diplomatic progress. 

“Iran’s powerful armed forces are proud, victorious and unwavering in defending Iran’s integrity, and this path will continue until complete victory,” Iranian state television quoted Aliabadi as saying, according to The Associated Press. The report added that Aliabadi did not explain what “complete victory” would involve. 

Operation Epic Fury, which launched on Feb. 28, has destroyed or damaged more than 140 Iranian naval vessels, U.S. Central Command said Monday. In total, over 9,000 combat flights have been carried out as part of the campaign. 

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“CENTCOM forces are targeting sites to dismantle the Iranian regime’s security apparatus, prioritizing locations that pose an imminent threat,” CENTCOM stated. 

Assets being struck include Iranian navy ships and submarines, air defense systems, anti-ship missile sites, military communication infrastructure and facilities involved in ballistic missile and drone production. 

On Friday, Trump spoke about Iran, saying, “Their Navy’s gone, their Air Force is gone, their anti-aircraft is all gone.” 

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“Their leaders are all gone. The next set of leaders are all gone. And the next set of leaders are mostly gone,” Trump continued. “And now, nobody wants to be a leader over there anymore. We’re having a hard time. We want to talk to them and there’s nobody to talk to.” 

Trump also said, “Over the past few weeks, the world has seen the true strength and might of our sailors and aviators as they fought in one of the most complex and successful military operations of all time against the Iranian regime.”  

“And it’s amazing… I don’t want to get too crazy here, not a contest. It’s not even a contest. They can’t stand against us,” Trump said. 

Digital’s Emma Bussey, Morgan Phillips and