TEHRAN -- The commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps has said the U.S. and Israel will not be able to set up a defense umbrella in the Middle East.

The Zionist regime’s recent anti-missile system test was a failure, and what the U.S. and Israeli officials have been saying about a missile-defense shield is just empty talk, Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari told reporters at a press conference in Tehran on Saturday.
On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton suggested that the United States might extend a defense umbrella over the Middle East in response to what she called a potential Iranian threat.
However, over the past week, Israeli and U.S. military officials aborted a test of a missile-defense shield under development by the two countries.
Jafari also stated that Iran has the ability to hit targets anywhere in Israel and will fire scores of ballistic missiles at Israel if it attacks the Islamic Republic.
“The Israelis might be able to intercept a limited number of missiles, but they can not do anything about a barrage of missiles,” he added.
A military action against the Islamic Republic would not be logical, but given the enemies’ foolishness and their fear of Iran’s progress, it is not inconceivable that they would make such a blunder, he said.
“In the event of a military action against the Islamic Republic of Iran… our response would be firm,” he added.
Jafari also said that certain forces inside Iran currently pose the most serious threat to the Islamic Revolution.
The recent incidents showed that the nature of the threats against the country has changed, he stated.
“The IRGC will take any measure necessary in the cultural, political, social, and security spheres to safeguard the Islamic Revolution,” he added