The commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Greater Tehran said that Iran has moved past the defensive and air defense phase and now stands on the threshold of offensive operations, Mehr reports.

Brigadier General Hassan Hassanzadeh, speaking at an exercise of special operations teams of the IRGC's Mohammad Rasulullah Division, honored those who died in the 12-day war, the Ramadan war, the Battle of Hormuz, and the 27th Division's fighters.

"We [Iran] have passed the stage of defensive and air defense confrontation, and today we stand on the threshold of offensive operations, a turning point whose effects the enemies will soon understand," he said.

Hassanzadeh said the same enemies who had claimed at the start of the 12-day war that the Islamic Republic would fall within days were now trapped in a limited geography in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, in the hands of the IRGC and army naval and aerospace forces.

He said victory was not achieved through equipment and technology alone. "Firm faith, heartfelt belief in divine victory, and following the school of martyrs such as Hemmat, Motevasselian, Tangsiri, Bagheri, Mehrabi, Hajizadeh, Pakpour and Salami determine the fate of wars. Today, by God's grace, in missile, drone and naval technology, we have reached a point where we have thwarted the enemy in achieving its goals," he said. The commander announced the organizing of offensive teams, units and divisions for special and lightning operations.

"Today we are ready to be present at any point in the country with high speed and to destroy the enemy in any situation. This offensive approach sends a clear message to the enemies," he said. Hassanzadeh also referred to the massive "Janfada-ye Iran" exercise of 313,000 participants, saying registration at mosques, squares, offices and neighborhoods had been unprecedented.

On 27 Shahrivar (September 18), he said, the world would witness the organized and powerful presence of the Iranian people. According to the commander, the US, its President Donald Trump, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could not answer their own publics and elites.

"They claimed to have destroyed our armed forces, but today the armed forces of the Islamic Republic stand stronger than ever. They wanted to seize the Strait of Hormuz, but today it is the will of the Iranian nation that manages this vital energy artery." He said the world now recognizes Islamic Iran as the Axis of Resistance and one of four powers determining global equations.

"The Strait of Hormuz, the popular forces and the full readiness of our fighters are part of our components of power, and on 27 Shahrivar the world will witness a manifestation of this greatness."