TEHRAN – The enemies are aware of only a small part of Iran’s defense power, Chief of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Hossein Salami said on Thursday.

“Our enemies are aware of only a small part of the reality of our defensive power, but nevertheless they know that the military and security power of the Islamic Republic of Iran is impenetrable and invincible,” Major General Salami said, Mehr reported.

He said while the enemies have seen Iran’s military equipment and the determination of Iranian forces to defend the values of the Islamic Revolution, Iran’s true power will only be realized in the battlefield.

“The deterrence power of the Islamic Iran is built on the foundation of overcoming major enemies,” the top general said, adding, “With Allah’s grace, we will be more prepared than ever to defend the territorial borders, independence and the territorial integrity of our country through enhancing this [deterrence] power.”

Tensions started to build up between the U.S. and Iran after U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from the 2015 deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in May 2018, and imposed sanctions against Tehran in a bid to put maximum pressure on the Islamic Republic. Tehran has slammed the sanctions, which have affected the lives of thousands of Iranians, as “economic terrorism”.

On June 20, amid escalating tensions between the two sides, the IRGC Aerospace downed an American RQ-4 Global Hawk drone over the Strait of Hormuz after it violated Iranian airspace. 

Despite the U.S. claims that the drone had been flying over international waters, Iran said it had retrieved sections of the drone in its own territorial waters where it was shot down.

The drone was shot by Iran’s homegrown air defense missile system “Khordad-3rd”.

In comments made a few hours after the incident, General Salami said the incident had a straightforward message that any foreign intrusion into Iranian territories would draw a crushing response.

MH/PA