Iranian General Says Oil Industry Central to National Power Equation

Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi, a senior aide to Iran's Supreme Leader, said on Sunday in Tehran that Iran's oil industry plays a pivotal role in the country's national power equation. He made the remarks at a ceremony honoring veterans of the oil and refining industries who served during conflicts that he described as imposed by the US and Israel.

Referring to the "12-Day War" and the "40-Day Ramadan War," General Rahim Safavi stated that the enemy, instigated by Zionists and their leader Benjamin Netanyahu, sought to gain control over Iran's energy resources and the Persian Gulf, and to regain lost hegemony. He emphasized Iran's strategic importance to the West, recalling a remark by former US President Dwight Eisenhower, who in his inaugural address described Iran as the most important country on the map due to its oil and its location at the crossroads of the world.

General Rahim Safavi advised the current US leadership to study Iran's history, quoting Eisenhower's argument about Iran's civilizational background and its potential to become a military power if it reverted to its distant past. He suggested that had the current US president read these words, he would have understood whom he was dealing with and could realize Iran's invincibility. The general added that Iran boasts a civilization spanning several millennia, unlike the US with 250 years of history.

He stated that Iran possesses a brave nation of courageous men and women and enjoys a unique geographical location. He described the country's energy as a source of power, a tool of leverage, and a key indicator of resilience and victory. General Rahim Safavi further explained that former US President Donald Trump had on numerous occasions claimed that the US possessed 60 percent of the world's oil resources, and therefore sought to replicate the Venezuela model in Iran but failed in his imposed war calculations and assessments.

He continued by praising the Ministry of Petroleum's great epics following the victory of the Islamic Revolution, through eight years of Sacred Defense — specifically breaking the siege of Abadan, safeguarding the refinery, and providing logistical support throughout the war. He emphasized that oil plays a pivotal role in Iran's destiny, and today, a significant portion of the Sacred Defense and the power equation is determined not only by the presence of women, men, and youth in the cities but also within the oil fields.

According to Mehr News, the ceremony was held to honor those who served the country's oil and refining industries during the US-Israeli-imposed wars.