The United States did not even fire a shot at Iran, the deputy commander of the IRGC said Sunday, after Washington launched air strikes at Iran-linked military targets in Iraq and Syria on Friday.

Referring to the United States in the customary jargon of the Iranian regime, Ali Fadavi stated, "The united front of arrogance conspires against us, and at no point has such enmity been recorded against a nation, and these enemies themselves admit defeat, and in military matters, they have not even fired a single arrow toward this country.”

The Biden administration vowed retaliation after a drone launched by Iran-backed militia forces from Iraq hit a US military outpost in Jordan on January 28 killing three soldiers and wounding around 40 others. However, it took the administration more than five days to launch a series of air strikes against Iranian proxy forces in Iraq and Syria, giving ample time to key Iranian and allied personnel to vacate dangerous locations.

US officials indicated that they do not want to attack Iran directly and aim to prevent an escalation. Following the belated attack on proxies, Iranian officials got over the initial fear of ‘American wrath’, confident that there would be no attacks on targets inside Iran.

Fadavi also emphasized that Iran’s efforts against Israel were key to raise opposition to the Jewish state around the world. “Imam Khomeini called Israel a cancer in the region,” he highlighted, referring to the founder of the Islamic Republic.