Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Hossein Bagheri: U.S. Sanctions Harm Our Ability to Fight Drug Trafficking; Europe Will Be the One to Pay the Price

IRGC General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, the Chief of Staff of Iran's armed forces, said in a July 11, 2019 interview with Khorasan Razavi TV (Iran) that Iran's internal security forces recently detected and exposed several drug smuggling networks. He said that Iran is the world leader in the detection of drugs, particularly considering that it neighbors the world's main drug manufacturing centers, and he said that by entering Afghanistan and causing an increase in drug production, the U.S. had maliciously set "obstacles" before Iran's anti-narcotics operations. General Bagheri said that Iran is the first line of defense with regard to drugs and that the "unjust" economic sanctions it is being subjected to have impaired its abilities in this regard. He added: "Naturally, the Europeans will be the ones to pay the price."

Mohammad Hossein Bagheri: "The internal security forces had great success in detecting and exposing the drug-smuggling networks. This is indicated by the fact that Iran is ranked #1 in the world in narcotics detection. On the other hand, we are neighbors to the main drug manufacturing center in the world, and we witness the Americans' poor job – or rather, their malice and the obstacles they set [before us]. There has been a significant rise in drug production since they entered Afghanistan. We are the first line of defense in dealing with drugs, but in recent months, and due to the unjust sanctions, our means and the support we get in dealing with this have been impaired. Naturally, the Europeans will be the ones to pay the price."