During his appointment as the new head of the Revolutionary Guards' foreign wing, Esmail Ghaani promised to avenge the death of his predecessor.
“Be patient, and you will see the bodies of Americans all over the Middle East,” he said.
Ghaani was described by Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as one of the “most decorated commanders” of the Revolutionary Guards during the war with Iraq in the Eighties.
He has been deputy commander of the Guards for around 20 years.
Mr Khamenei called Soleimani a "martyr" and said the Quds Force's orders would remain exactly the same under Mr Ghaani's leadership.
'Iran will punish Americans wherever they are within Tehran's reach,' Guards commander says
Gholamali Abuhamzeh, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards in the southern province of Kerman, has claimed 35 "vital" US positions in the region are "within Iran's reach", according to the Iranian news agency, Tasnim.
Suggesting ships in the gulf could face attacks, he told Tasnim: "The Strait of Hormuz is a vital point for the West and a large number of American destroyers and warships cross there.
"Vital American targets in the region have been identified by Iran [for] a long time ... some 35 US targets in the region as well as Tel Aviv are within our reach."
UN secretary general 'deeply concerned with recent escalation'
"This is a moment in which leaders must exercise maximum restraint," Antonio Guterres warned in a statement. "The world cannot afford another war in the Gulf."
Source : Independent News
