Pompeo's Iran sanctions vow deserves a 'punch,' Revolutionary Guard commander says

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America's top diplomat deserves a "punch to the mouth" over his vow to impose "the strongest sanctions in history" on Iran, according to a senior Iranian military commander.

On Monday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned that the U.S. would take such action against Tehran unless the Islamic republic changed course by meeting a list of 12 demands aimed at the heart of Iran's foreign policy agenda.

Ismail Kowsari, a senior officer with Iran's Revolutionary Guard who is deputy commander of the base responsible for security throughout Tehran, later responded.

"The people of Iran should stand united in the face of this and they will deliver a strong punch to the mouth of the American secretary of state and anyone who backs them," said Kowsari, according to the Iranian Labour News Agency.

What is the Iran nuclear deal?

The Revolutionary Guard was created after the Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution to protect the ruling clerical establishment and answerable to the country’s most powerful man, the supreme leader.

During his first major foreign policy address, Pompeo outlined a plan that included a reprieve from sanctions and restoration of full diplomatic and economic relations should Iran meet a list of 12 demands. The U.S. is demanding that Tehran essentially overhaul its regional and military policies, and the country's missile program is one of the administration's top concerns.

Pompeo's speech at the conservative Heritage Foundation came after President Donald Trump ended U.S. participation in the JCPOA — an agreement that also includes Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China.

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