Iranian Basij Commander: Group 5+1 = 0

Commander of Iran’s Basij (volunteer) force Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi lashed out at the policy of pressure adopted by so-called Group 5+1 (the US, France, Britain, Russia and China plus Germany), and stressed that Iran is ready to prove that the Group’s strategy is nothing but empty and ineffective pressure.

“Our nation is prepared to prove that 5+1 equals zero and that no means can pressure Iran,” Naqdi told FNA on Wednesday.

Meantime, the commander blasted G5+1 members’ support for Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein during the Iraqi imposed war on Iran (1980-1988) and their support for the former Pahlavi regime.

“The Group 5+1 is not unknown to us,” he said, adding that the G5+1 members have supported the assassinations conducted by the anti-Iran terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) and the attempts made by separatist groups, and now have stepped onto the scene with a new face.

Naqdi also called on the six world powers to learn a lesson from their devilish record towards Iran.

The G5+1 is involved in a series of talks with Iran over its nuclear progress. The members of the group, specially the four western states, accuse Iran of pursuing a military nuclear drive but they have never presented any corroborative evidence to prove their allegations.

Tehran, which maintains that it is pursuing a peaceful nuclear program, has taken many confidence-building measures to remove the West’s alleged concerns and has had the most cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog agency, but the sextet still continues with its allegations, without having the least cooperation with Iran.