Iran issued new threats to wipe Israel “off the face of the earth” Sunday, July 1, as new E.U. sanctions against its oil sector came into full force, The Jerusalem Post reported. Announcing three days of missile tests this week, Revolutionary Guards General Amir Ali Hajizadeh said the exercises should be seen as a message “that the Islamic Republic of Iran is resolute in standing up to ... bullying, and will respond to any possible evil decisively and strongly.” “If they [Israel] take any action, they will hand us an excuse to wipe them off the face of the earth,” said Hajizadeh, head of the Guards’ airborne division. The missile tests will target mock-ups of air bases in the region, Hajizadeh said, adding that Iran’s ability to strike U.S. bases in the Gulf protects the country from U.S. support for Israel.