Anything but soft power
If China is intent on using soft power to expand its influence, Iran wants to use hard power. At least some of the leadership does. And some does not. Senior military official says Revolutionary Guards will not stay within Iran’s borders Although President Hassan Rouhani said few days ago while marking Iran’s Army Day that Iran wants brotherly and strong relations with neighboring countries and rejects interfering in other countries’ internal affairs and noted that “dialogue is the only means towards peace in the region,” the Iranian Revolutionary Guards has contradicted him by stating that it will not commit to staying within Iran’s borders. … Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi, the commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Navy, said the Revolutionary Guards’ activities “are not limited to Iran,” noting that the guards’ forces are currently fighting thousands of kilometers away from Iranian borders. Fadavi added that this military apparatus’ actual name is the “Islamic Revolutionary Gua...