TEHRAN -- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has warned against any act of aggression against the Islamic Republic.

“No one can find the slightest sign of warmongering in this nation and in the elected administration, but this peace-loving nation will crush any aggressor in such a way that the intention of the aggression would be removed from his mind,” Ayatollah Khamenei told army commanders in the city of Yazd on Friday.
And Iran will continue its peaceful activities in various areas, the Supreme Leader declared.
He also praised the bravery of Yazd Province soldiers during the Saddam Hussein regime’s imposed war (1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war).
The Supreme Leader lauded Iranians’ “numerous qualifications” in various areas, saying, “This nation, the late Imam (Khomeini), the exalted martyrs, and the Islamic Revolution’s great ideals deserve more diligence on the part of the armed forces.”
“Conveying history-making messages is not possible without perseverance and self-sacrifice, and the great nation of Iran has managed to do this through the faith, determination, and diligence of its youth,” noted the Leader.
He also voiced satisfaction with the discipline and development of the armed forces.
“The Iranian nation and the armed forces should increase their strength and alertness as a sign of their vigilance.”
U.S. ties detrimental to Iran
Ayatollah Khamenei said on Thursday that restoring diplomatic ties with the U.S. would be detrimental to Iran, Press TV reported.
Severing diplomatic ties with the U.S. was one of Iran’s principled policies but Tehran had never said that it would pursue this policy forever, the Leader told a gathering of university students in Yazd on Thursday.
“The U.S. administration is in a situation wherein restoring diplomatic ties with it will be harmful to Iran and we naturally should not pursue that,” Ayatollah Khamenei added.
The Leader emphasized that thawing diplomatic ties with Washington would not reduce the threat posed by the U.S. against Iran.
“The U.S. waged war against Iraq while Washington had diplomatic ties with Baghdad, secondly diplomatic ties with the U.S. would pave the way for the infiltration of U.S. spies into the country, so diplomatic relations with Washington would not be useful to the Iranian nation,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.
“If such relations are in the interests of the Iranian nation some day, I will be the first one to endorse them,” the Leader said.
Ayatollah Khamenei added certain countries accuse Iran of provoking hostility towards the U.S., but Washington’s enmity towards Iran stems from its antagonism towards the principles of the Iranian nation -- which has existed since the Islamic Revolution -- not the remarks made by the Iranian president or other officials.
The U.S. moves against Iran nuclear program futile
The Leader referred to the failed U.S. initiatives aimed at hampering Iran’s peaceful nuclear program and added that “One day, the West opposed the activity of even five centrifuges in Iran but today 3,000 centrifuges are active in the country.”
“The Americans have been forced to admit that they have failed to prevent Iran from making nuclear achievements,” Ayatollah Khamenei added.
“Over the next two decades Iran should generate at least 20,000 megawatts of nuclear electricity, otherwise its development will be hampered. Perhaps even today we are already late in starting to use nuclear energy,” the Leader emphasized.
He also pointed to the failed U.S. policies in the Middle East and said that Washington failed to defeat Hezbollah in Lebanon while the White House views Iran as a primary force behind its failures in the region.
Ayatollah Khamenei said that following the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. used its propaganda machine to persuade the world that it is conveying the message of democracy and the Middle East is a bastion of terrorism.
“Today, all nations in the Middle East and the world consider the U.S. (policy) as a factor that fuels terrorism and undermines democracy,” the Leader said.
Ayatollah Khamenei also slammed the West’s smear campaign against Iran, saying that those who are involved in the “shameful” Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib scandals accuse Iran and other opponents of violating human rights.
He dismissed the West’s claims that there is no democracy in Iran and said that the Iranian people cast their ballots in free elections almost every year in choosing the country’s officials.
“Doesn’t democracy mean the same thing in other countries?”
Ayatollah Khamenei deplored that certain people inside the country echo the enemies’ allegations directly or indirectly.
The Leader said that while a military attack on Iran is unlikely, the Iranian nation and officials should remain vigilant