Major General Amir Hatami said on Saturday that the country is fully prepared to deliver a crushing response to any threat against its national interests, stressing that Iran’s defense posture is grounded in active deterrence.
During a ceremony marking the addition of the destroyer Sahand and the Kurdistan vessels to the Navy’s fleet, Major General Hatami said “our defensive strategy is based on active defense and smart deterrence.”
“This means that we will not wait for the enemy to attack, and we have the necessary readiness for any decisive and crushing response at any point where our national interests require,” he said.
Hatami praised the Navy’s sacrifices during the Iran–Iraq War and said Iran’s military strength remains a stabilizing force for both the nation and the wider region.
“Today, one cannot draw a distinction between the security of the region and the security of countries,” he said.
He added that almost five decades of experience since the 1979 Revolution have shown Iran’s “constructive and irreplaceable role” in regional security.
Major General Hatami said developments over the past two years have made clear “which countries are the disruptors of regional security,” leaving “no doubt for any fair observer.”
On June 13, Israel launched an unprovoked war against Iran, assassinating many high-ranking commanders, nuclear scientists, and civilians.
More than a week later, the United States also entered the war by bombing three Iranian nuclear facilities in a grave violation of the United Nations Charter, international law, and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Iran’s armed forces responded by striking strategic sites across the occupied territories as well as the al-Udeid air base in Qatar, the largest American military facility in West Asia.
On June 24, Iran said its retaliatory operations against Israel and the United States imposed a halt to the illegal assault.
Senior Iranian commanders have warned that any new act of aggression will prompt an even stronger response.
Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi said on Thursday that the country’s strategic naval units are prepared to deliver a “firm and regret-inducing” response to any possible act of aggression by enemies.
Mousavi said the strategic naval forces demonstrated complete operational readiness in recent confrontations, particularly after the 12-day imposed war by the US and Israeli regime in June, when they showed they could deliver a “decisive, effective and regret-inducing” response to any act of aggression or violation.