(CNN) Barbara Starr and Ryan Browne - Gen. Joseph Votel, the head of U.S. Central Command, on Wednesday described Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani, leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Quds Force, as "an individual who is perpetrating a lot of this destabilizing activity" in the Middle East. "Wherever you see Iranian activity, you see Qasem Soleimani, whether it is in Syria, whether it is in Iraq, whether it is in Yemen, he is there and it is the Quds Force, the organization which he leads, that I think is the principal threat as we look at this and the principle ones that are stoking this destabilizing activity." Votel emphasized that the U.S. military can keep the Strait of Hormuz open for shipping despite Iranian threats to shut it down. "Iran has layered capabilities here that include mines, that include explosive boats, that include coastal defense missiles and radars and other things, so they certainly have capabilities there, but I would just suggest we have capabilities as well."
2018-08-09 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive