Iran's military Chief of Staff Hassan Firouzabadi (left) sitting next to Iranian Prime Minister Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (center). Photo: www.snydertalk.com.

Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Maj. Gen. Hassan Firouzabadi on Sunday said Iran remains committed to the “full annihilation of the Zionist regime of Israel to the end,” according to the Iranian Fars news agency.

Firouzabadi “reiterated the Iranian nation and supreme leader’s emphasis on the necessity of support for the oppressed Palestinian nation and its causes,” and noted, “The Iranian nation is standing for its cause that is the full annihilation of Israel.”

The top military official reminded those present that Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei considers “defending Palestine a full religious duty and believes that any kind of governance and rule by anyone other than the Palestinians as an instance of usurpation,” Fars reported.