TEHRAN, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Iran's military chief on Tuesday warned that the country's armed forces will respond to any level of threat by the United States and Israel immediately and without any geographical limitation.
Iran's forces "will meet any level or type of threat with an immediate and impactful response and without geographical limitations," Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Ali Abdollahi issued the warning in a message, carried by Iranian media.
Abdollahi said Iran does not seek war, but the country's strategy has changed from being defensive to "offensive initiative."
He also said "the unipolar world order" has been forced to accept the new reality that "regional nations and powers are capable of ensuring their own security without relying on the U.S. security umbrella."
The remarks came amid heightened U.S. threats of military action against Iran.
On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump was briefed by top U.S. military officials on options regarding Iran, while the United States has informed several Gulf countries to prepare for a possible brief but intense military campaign against Iran after the U.S. midterm elections, The Wall Street Journal reported. ■
