BUSHEHR (IRNA) -- The Iranian Army is completely prepared to respond to any threat or violation of the country's air space despite being under sanctions, Defense Minister Brigadier-General Mostafa Mohammad Najar assured here Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters at the end of his visit to an airbase in the southern city of Bushehr, home to the country's first nuclear power plant, the minister expressed satisfaction over the high capability and readiness of the country's air force. Stressing the importance of guaranteeing security for the Bushehr nuclear power plant, Najar said that "any attack against Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities would receive a quick and decisive response by the country's armed forces."

He praised the army's significant role in the eight-year, Iraqi-imposed war against Iran (1980-1988), stressing that its forces are ready to protect the country's borders with the same revolutionary fervor as in the early days of the Islamic Revolution of Iran.