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Iran's top military commander asserted that the country has bolstered its deterrence capabilities through upgrades to domestically produced ballistic missile systems.
Providing context to the remarks, Iranian state broadcaster Press TV reported that on Wednesday, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Abdolrahim Mousavi made the comments during a visit to a missile facility operated by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), accompanied by IRGC Aerospace Force commander Brigadier General Majid Mousavi. Describing the scope of the upgrades, Mousavi noted, "By upgrading its ballistic missiles in all technical dimensions, Iran has been able to strengthen its deterrence power," during the tour. Building on this, he also highlighted Iran's readiness to confront any hostile move, adding, "Following the 12-day war, we have changed our military doctrine from defensive to offensive by adopting the policy of asymmetric warfare and [boosting readiness for a] crushing response to the enemies," according to Press TV. These comments referred to last June's US-Israeli military action against Iran that resulted in at least 1,064 deaths. As reported by Press TV, Israel launched the attack on June 13 while Tehran was engaged in nuclear negotiations with Washington, with the United States later joining the offensive by striking Iranian nuclear facilities. In retaliation, Iranian forces carried out strikes on strategic locations across the occupied territories and at Al-Udeid, the largest US military base in West Asia. Since then, Iran has accelerated efforts to strengthen both its defensive and offensive military capabilities, Press TV noted. Against this backdrop, the region is again witnessing heightened tensions after the United States deployed additional air and naval assets and issued threats against the Islamic Republic. Iranian officials have warned that any American attack would draw an immediate response and could trigger a wider regional conflict. At the same time, diplomatic activity has intensified in recent days, easing tensions slightly, with Iranian and US representatives now expected to meet in Oman on Friday for a fresh round of talks on Tehran's nuclear programme. Returning to his inspection of the IRGC missile base, Mousavi reiterated that Iran has moved from a "defensive" posture to an "offensive" approach since the 12-day conflict and adopted a "strategy of asymmetric warfare" to ensure a stronger response to future aggression. Earlier this week, he cautioned that any misjudgement by Iran's adversaries would provoke a "rapid" and "decisive" reaction. Emphasising the readiness of Iran's armed forces, he added, "We think only of victory. We have no fear of the enemy's superficial might, and we are fully ready for confrontation and to deliver a retaliatory slap." (ANI)
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