MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Iranian Armed Forces are capable to defend the country from foreign threats and would respond to an enemy attack with "roaring missiles," the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force Commander Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh said on Saturday.
"With the knowledge I have about the capabilities of the (Iranian) Armed Forces and about ourselves, I’d say with confidence that foreign threats against the Islamic Establishment (of Iran) are futile… Should the enemy make a mistake, our roaring missiles will rain down on them," Hajizadeh said as quoted by the Tasnim news agency.
On Friday, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a Tweet that Tehran would "never initiate war," following this statement by a warning that, if needed, the country would not shy away from using weapons in self-defense.
We will never use our weapons against anyone, except in self-defense. Let us see if any of those who complain can make the same statement. pic.twitter.com/xwGquvqLvb
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) February 3, 2017
This week, US President Donald Trump's administration announced sanctions against 25 individuals and entities that allegedly provided support to Iran's missile program following Tehran's latest medium-range ballistic missile test, which took place on Monday.
Iran retaliated by imposing counter-sanctions against the United States and asserting that President Donald Trump has violated the nuclear deal with his sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
