We can destroy Israel in ‘less than 8 minutes’: Iranian commander

A senior Iranian military commander has claimed that the Islamic Republic is capable of destroying Israel in under eight minutes, the latest of a long series of threats against what it deems as the “Zionist regime.”

“If the Supreme Leader’s orders [are] to be executed, with the abilities and the equipment at our disposal, we will raze the Zionist regime in less than eight minutes,” said Ahmad Karimpour, a senior adviser to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ elite unit al-Quds Force.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the Islamic Republic’s head of state and most powerful figure, has repeatedly threatened to annihilate the Jewish state. In September, the 76-year-old leader suggested Israel would not exist in 25 years’ time.

Iran’s current president, Hassan Rowhani, represents Iran’s moderate faction, and usually strikes a more reconciliatory tone. But he also has shown support for the Islamic Republic’s missile program.

Earlier this month, Iran’s military said that it had successfully tested a precision-guided, ballistic missile with a 2,000 kilometer range – easily within reach of Israel, the state-run Tasnim agency reported.

Although Iran signed an accord with six world powers last July, pledging to curb its nuclear activities in exchange for lifting of sanctions, ballistic missiles are not covered in the agreement.

In March, the US placed fresh sanctions on several companies in the Islamic Republic over the testing of a ballistic missile.