‘Iranian Hulk’ Joins Anti-Islamic State Fight in Syria

A man known on social media as the “Iranian Hulk” and the “Persian Hercules” for his monstrous muscles will reportedly join Iran’s Shiite troops, who are fighting the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) on behalf of dictator Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

The Washington Post (WaPo) reports:

An Iranian weightlifter who rose to Internet stardom via social media announced this week he plans to travel to Syria to fight the Islamic State alongside the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Sajad Gharibi, nicknamed “the Iranian Hulk,” revealed his plan to join other Iranian forces fighting in Syria in a video clip to his 148,000 Instagram followers. His shockingly huge physique and massive muscles earned the professional weightlifter the moniker of the American comic book superhero.

The Persian behemoth weighs nearly a staggering 350 pounds.

I don’t want anyone in my sport even people as professional with inspiring background and experience like my personal idol Triple H to make any judgement until I acheived my true potential @wwe I promised you might not see or heard about me for now but hopefully it will change very soon and you can bet on that

A photo posted by official page (@sajadgharibii) on Jun 29, 2016 at 8:53am PDT

175 kg ___155kg سلام عرض ادب خدمت تمامی دوست های خوبم چند مدت پیش من تو مجازی جلاد داعش معرفی کردن ابتدا باید بگم من ورزشکارم ومثل اون جلاد تانکر اب نیستم کسی که چنین چیزی ساخته اصلا فیزیک من ندیده من قبلا به اندازه ی کافی صحبت کردم مهم نیست چی میگن مهم اینه که راهت منحرف نباشه تمام ادمین ها خیلی خوب میدونند من ایرانی هستم اما برا افزایشه ممبر دروغ تحویل ملت میدن من دوست ندارم از طریق قانون شکایت کنم چون دوست ندارم کسی شرمنده پشیموون ببینمم به هر حال ریشه این ماجراها فرط بیکاریست درست ظلم دیدم اما باز میبخشمشون من هربار نباید خودم ثابت کنم فقط سعی میکنم حقایق بهتون بگم این هم چون خیلی از رفقا گفتن تو پست جدید مشخص کن من در موردش صحبت کردم این عکس جدید من با صد پنجاه پنج کیلو وزن در حال حاضر بیست کیلو وزن کم کردم این تازه دو درصد از کارم و نود هشت درصد باقی مونده من خیلی به رشته بوکس علاقه دارم و حتما حرفه ایی ادامه میدم دوست تون دارم عیدتوون مبارک شب شیک #strongman #strongbody #strong#stronger #big#mucsle #mucsles #powerful #powerlifter #giant#king#super#flexing#wwe #hulk

A photo posted by official page (@sajadgharibii) on May 22, 2016 at 3:01pm PDT

Gharibi, the Iranian Hulk, announced he would defend besieged mosques in Syria, reports Khaama Press (KP).

Citing media reports, KP notes, “Gharibi is able to lift loads of up to 175kg (386lb) and his Instagram reveals he has Hulk-like 64cm (25 inch) biceps and regularly power lifts.”

کامل در کانال تلگرام تو پیجم ممنون رفقا

A video posted by official page (@sajadgharibii) on Jul 3, 2016 at 9:44pm PDT

“I have always said and will say that I will be a soldier for my country,” says Gharibi in Farsi in a video posted on Instagram, according to WaPo.

The “Iranian Hulk” also declares that “he looks up to [the notorious] Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, head of the Quds Force, a special forces unit of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.”

Gen. Soleimani has been linked to the death of U.S. troops.

In the video, which is also posted on Gharibi’s Telegram channel, “He says he plans to start training after Ramadan for two to three years before presumably heading to Syria — a telling recognition of how intractable Syria’s conflict may be,” notes WaPo.

Russian air support and Iranian-backed Shiite troops, including members of the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah and the Islamic Republic’s elite Revolutionary Guards, have kept the Syrian regime afloat. The Shiite armed groups are fighting ISIS in Syria and Iraq.

Iran has been relatively quiet about its involvement in Syria, notes WaPo, adding, “However, as more Iranian troops and Revolutionary Guard commanders have been killed, it has become more common for Iranian media to discuss the country’s role in the Syrian war.”