Major General Hossein Salam has sent a direct threat to the US by stating the Persian Gulf nation was ready for “full-scale confrontation with the enemy”. Concerns about possible conflict were increased after the White House ordered warships and bombers to the region. The US had aimed to counter an alleged, unexplained threat from Iran that has seen Washington also order non-essential diplomatic staff out of neighbouring Iraq.
The presence of the US in the oil-rich region has been described as a “decisive moment”, and something not seen since the 1979 uprising, which saw the US-backed leader ousted.
Major Salam, the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards told the Iranian Tasnim News Agency: “This is the most decisive moment for the Islamic Revolution, because the enemy has come to the battlefield with all of its capacities at its disposal.”
The military supremo also warned US president Donald Trump that his “maximum pressure” strategy would fail because of Iran’s “resistance, persistence and endurance”.
He added: ‘Our enemies have reached the end of the line and, despite their apparent awesomeness, they have osteoporosis from within.”
Meanwhile Mohammad Saleh Jokar, deputy head of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards ramped up the prospect of warfare, he stated even its short-range Iranian missiles could reach US warships in the Gulf and Washington did not have the military powers to cope with Iran.
Mr Jokar added: “America cannot afford the costs of a new war, and the country is in a bad situation in terms of manpower and social conditions.”
The relationship between the world superpowers have been strained for over a year, following Mr Trump’s decision to pull out of the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
The treaty aimed to curb Tehran’s nuclear ambitions in return for relief from sanctions.
However the US has since imposed new sanctions on Iran aimed at impacting its economy by cutting off oil exports, which has forced Iran to suspend its commitments to the agreement.
Meanwhile the US president has played down the conflict by stating he does not want a war with Iran.
When asked on Thursday if the US was going to war with Iran, Mr Trump said: “I hope not.”
Meanwhile the growing tensions have forced the UK to warn all citizens holding dual British and Iranian nationality to avoid travelling to Iran.
In a statement this afternoon Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “Dual nationals face an intolerable risk of mistreatment if they visit Iran.
“Despite the UK providing repeated opportunities to resolve this issue, the Iranian regime’s conduct has worsened. Having exhausted all other options, I must now advise all British-Iranian dual nationals against traveling to Iran.”