TEHRAN – Chief of the Iranian Army says Tehran is not seeking war against any country but it has learned how to defend itself.

“As repeatedly announced before, the Islamic Republic of Iran doesn’t seek war against any country,” Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi said on Monday, Mehr reported.

In recent years Iran has faced with complicated threats by the enemy, he said, emphasizing that in countering the enemy’s plots, military power is not enough.

“In the current situation, what is strategically important is countering the enemy’s psychological war, which has cultural and intellectual aspects,” the top general remarked.

Today, the enemy is focusing on a hybrid strategy which includes sanctions, threats and psychological operations, Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi notes.

Boosting the people’s resistance and tolerance in the face of pressures carries strategic importance and should be addressed by cultural authorities, he added.

Today, the enemy is focusing on a hybrid strategy which includes sanctions, threats and psychological operations, especially on people and officials’ determination and calculations, said the commander, adding that the enemy wants to disrupt the calculations made by Iran’s decision makers.

Tensions between Tehran and Washington entered a new stage since April when the U.S. designated the IRGC (part of the Iranian military) as a terrorist organization, announced that it does no renew waivers for the remaining buyers of the Iranian oil, and started beefing up its military presence in the region, particularly in the Persian Gulf.

The tension further escalated on June 20, when the Iranian military shot down an unmanned U.S. surveillance drone after it breached Iran’s airspace. The U.S. drone entered the Iranian airspace from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force Amir Ali Hajizadeh rejected the U.S. claim that the doomed drone had not entered the Iranian airspace, saying, “Other countries have refuted the U.S. claim of not violating the Iranian border.”

MH/PA