TEHRAN – Commander of the Iranian Army said on Sunday that Iran’s offensive power would be devastating for the aggressors.

“Our offensive power and our capability to strike back after the start of an attack by the aggressors would be devastating and regrettable,” Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi said, Mehr reported.

He emphasized that Iran has never begun a war and will never do so, but “we do not merely rely on defense” and are ready to strike back in case of any aggression.

Pointing to the enemies’ hostility and their evil plots, the general said Iran’s national and military capabilities can thwart such plots.

Pointing to Saddam Hussein’s war on Iran in the 1980s,  the top commander said, “Today we are much more powerful than that time in defending our ideals and protecting the nation and the country.”

In similar remarks last week, General Mousavi said 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,” he said, emphasizing that in countering the enemy’s plots, military power is not enough.

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 tensions 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