IRGC commander describes Iran, US as main world rivals

Lieutenant Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Brigadier General Hossein Salami said Iran and the US are now competing with each other to define power equations in the world. "The power equations and balance in the world is now defined by the strategic rivalry between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States, while this rivalry was between the US and the former Soviet Union before," Salami said in Iran's Southern province of Fars on Wednesday. He further pointed out that Iran has defeated enemies on all scenes through resistance. Last month, a senior advisor of the Iranian Supreme Leader said that the growing influence of Iran as a regional power has caused a decline in the world powers' clout in the region. "We are the top regional power politically and the yardstick of this fact is the level of influence (that a given country has) on the powers, and I know no country which has the same influence and clout that Iran has," Supreme Leader's Advisor for International Affairs and presidential hopeful Ali Akbar Velayati said at the time. He downplayed the recent war rhetoric by certain world powers and Israel against Iran, and said "no power can spread war into Iran today".