'Fort Hood incident signals fall of US empire'

A top official with Iran's armed forces says the fall of empires begins with domestic corruption after a US Army psychiatrist treating soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan killed 12 soldiers in Fort Hood.

Deputy Head of Iran's armed forces headquarters Brigadier-General Seyyed Massoud Jazayeri said Saturday that the killing in the US Army base is just a small instance of many challenges inside the US government and the American society.

According to the general, these American challenges have manifested themselves in the form of faulty human relations and family dynamics as well as political differences and other social issues.

"Basically, the reason behind the fall of empires is not corruption outside the country but from within," General Jazayeri said ."All evidence indicates that the US society will follow [in the footsteps of the Soviet Union]."

"The US government believes that due to the country's geographical situation, they are safe. But the reality is that 'the major warning' comes from within," he added.

His remarks came after Major Nidal Malik Hasan, an army psychiatrist treating soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, went on a murderous shooting rampage Thursday at Fort Hood, killing 12 people and wounding 32 others, according to Time magazine.

General Jazayeri said although mass media always seeks to cover such atrocious acts inside the US, the action of US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan will not stay hidden.