TEHRAN, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- A senior Iranian military commander said on Saturday the country's armed forces are ready to give a "regret-inducing" response to any adventurism by the "enemies," according to the official news agency IRNA.
Deputy Commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Ahmad Vahidi made the remarks at a national congress in the northwestern Iranian province of West Azarbaijan as tensions remain high between Tehran and Washington over the latter's threats of intervention.
"Today, we are more prepared than the 12-day (Israeli-U.S.) war (in June) ... We are ready to respond to any adventurism by the enemies in a regret-inducing manner," Vahidi said.
Pointing to the recent unrests in the country, he added, "The enemies, who had received a hard slap from Iran during the 12-day war, sought to compensate for their defeat through inciting sedition, but faced another heavy defeat thanks to the Iranian people's unity and solidarity."
His remarks came as U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States had a "massive" naval force heading towards Iran, while suggesting it may not be used.
"We have a lot of ships going that direction just in case. We have a big flotilla going in that direction. And we'll see what happens," Trump told reporters on Air Force One as he returned from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
However, the U.S. president reiterated that he preferred to avoid conflict, saying, "I'd rather not see anything happen, but we're watching them very closely."
Protests erupted late December in several Iranian cities over the sharp depreciation of the rial. Initially held peacefully, the protests gradually became violent, leading to casualties and damage to public property, mosques, government buildings, and banks, for which Tehran has blamed the United States and Israel. ■
