TEHRAN – Ahmad Vahidi, president of the Supreme National Defense University, says he doubts that U.S. military forces will take any action against Iran as “they are a little wiser than those running the White House.”

“The U.S. military forces know that any action they take against Iran will be faced with a strong and unforgettable response from the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he said, IRNA reported on Tuesday.

Vahidi, who was defense minister from 2009 to 2013 under the Ahmadinejad administration, stressed that the Iranian armed forces are completely ready to defend the country against any unexpected event.

The remarks came after U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton announced that his country is deploying the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group to the U.S. Central Command region as a response to what he called a number of Iran’s “troubling and escalatory indications and warnings”.

“The United States is deploying the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force to the U.S. Central Command region,” Bolton said in a Sunday statement.

The move, he said, is aimed at sending a “clear and unmistakable message” to Iran that “any attack on United States interests or on those of our allies will be met with unrelenting force.”

Iran has repeatedly said that it does not seek escalation.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Saturday that Iran does not seek to escalate tensions with the United States, but it will not let Washington disrupt the security of the Persian Gulf as the “lifeline of Iran”.

“We have been very clear that we have no interest in escalation,” Zarif said in an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera TV.

“We have been clear that the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz are our lifeline. We depend on them for our livelihood, and we want them safe, secure, and free for navigation of all countries, including Iran,” he said.

“As we have stated before, Iran won’t permit the U.S. to threaten the Persian Gulf,” the foreign minister added.

MH/PA