Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
Tehran, Oct 31: Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has directed the country's armed forces to respond "immediately and effectively" to any level or kind of threat from its "enemies", without geographical limitations, according to a statement published on his official website on Saturday.
He made the remarks during a meeting with senior commanders of the Iranian armed forces, including Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Ali Abdollahi, Army Chief Commander Amir Hatami and Islamic Revolution Guard Corps Commander-in-Chief Ahmad Vahidi, the statement said.
Khamenei stressed that if the "enemies" resume military or terrorist attacks against Iran, the country's armed forces and people would determine the time and conditions for ending the war, Xinhua news agency reported.
He also underlined the need to strengthen the country's military intelligence architecture, develop indigenous defence capabilities in terms of doctrine and tactics, and advance modern defence and security systems using cutting-edge technologies.
The Supreme Leader further emphasised that Iran's bank of targets must be updated to ensure that "various tangible and intangible assets of the US-Israeli enemy are brought within the Iranian armed forces' reach".
During the meeting, senior military commanders presented reports on the armed forces' state of readiness and briefed Khamenei on the significant increase in domestic production of various types of ammunition, as well as reconnaissance, support and combat weaponry.
Khamenei's remarks came amid heightened US threats of military action against Iran.
The United States has told several Gulf countries to prepare for a brief but intense military campaign against Iran following the US midterm elections, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing people briefed on the discussions.
According to the report, the United States and Israel are preparing for another round of intense military operations against Iran.
On February 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities. Iran retaliated with waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and US bases and assets in the region, while also tightening its grip on the Strait of Hormuz.