Western policy-makers are all familiar with the names Khomeini, Khamenei, Khatemi, Rafsanjani, and now Ahmadinejad. But what about Yahya Rahim Safavi? Chances are, most do not recognize his name — but they should.

Yahya Rahim Safavi is the major general in command of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps of Iran. He has been a force in the Iranian military since he rose to fame as a young leader in the Iraq-Iran war of 1980–88.

In December, General Safavi’s name was included in U.N. Security Council resolution 1737, which called for his assets to be frozen because of his involvement in Iran’s nuclear program.

The general has often made outrageous public statements about America. In September, he told the Iranian Students News Agency that America’s current policy “of pre-emption and war mongering in order to dominate the Middle East” is part of a plan initiated during “the events of September 11, 2001,” which “were ordered by the U.S. and Mossad.”

Even though General Safavi is one of the most important military leaders in Iran, his statements are virtually ignored by most press outlets. American officials, however, should take them seriously.

During a press conference at the Revolutionary Guards’ naval forces headquarters on February 3, General Safavi said: “In the event of any kind of military threat … Iran’s armed forces will provide a crushing and inconceivable response against the invaders, and will endanger the interests of the foreigners in the region. … [It] will bring in its wake American humiliation in the world.”

Although the general disclosed some important information about Iran’s military doctrine, he added: “We never reveal all our cards to the enemy. … We will respond to any invading power with a force that they cannot even imagine. Neither the Americans nor the Zionists know what complex, precise, and intelligence-based plans we have designed.”

In a November 12 interview with Iran’s Channel 2, Commander Safavi discussed his country’s military strategy vis-à-vis America: “The Americans have many weaknesses. … In the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, they clearly displayed” them. … “We have planned our strategy precisely” around them. … “We don’t see any motivation among the American forces in Iraq. They are very cowardly.”

One of the lasting memories of the Iraq-Iran war is the thousands of Iranian children sent on suicide missions to search for land mines planted along the border. The “martyrdom” missions are a key component of General Safavi’s military planning.

In an interview on Al-Alam TV on November 5, he said: “We naturally have defense plans of deterrence. … The IRGC has thousands of martyrdom-seekers, who have gained military experience during the eight years of war, and these martyrdom-seekers are prepared to carry out martyrdom operations on large scales. They operate professionally and have undergone training. They have a strong spirit of martyrdom.”

On October 28, 2005, he had said on Jaam-e Jam3 TV: “The Americans and Israelis should know that the future belongs to Islam. … The Muslim peoples in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Palestine will eventually cut off the legs of the American, Zionist, and English occupiers from the Islamic lands.”

To mark Basij Day on November 21, General Safavi boasted, “The Americans are sunk in the quagmire of Afghanistan and Iraq, and there is no way for them” to move either “forward or backward. Assuming they attack Iran, their 200,000 troops, in their 33 bases, are highly vulnerable. … They can start a war, but” the decision to end the war “will not be in their hands.”

Earlier last year, in an interview with the Iranian News Channel on March 29, General Safavi described Iran’s monitoring of American troop activity: “If they turn to military threats, they should know that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic are fully prepared.”

On August 27, in an interview with Iran’s Channel 2, General Safavi described an incident that he claimed had occurred between American and Iranian forces. “A few months ago, the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier … which was carrying on deck 72 F-18 planes, and which was escorted by several warships, was circled for about 25 minutes by one of our unmanned planes, which filmed and transmitted the footage. … We have shown them that they are very vulnerable. Even their aircraft carriers and other warships are vulnerable,” he said.

Mr. Stalinsky is the executive director of the Middle East Media Research Institute.