An Iranian flag is pictured at the United Nations headquarters in New York, Jan. 8, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Muzi/IANS File Photo)
Tehran, August 6 (IANS): Iran's Acting Defence Minister, Brigadier General Majid Ebn-e-Reza, on Thursday expressed the Iranian Armed Forces' readiness to respond to any threat and emphasised that Tehran's capabilities are backed by its domestic defence industry, local media reported.
"Every day, the signs of the enemy’s erosion of power become more evident; however, our Armed Forces, relying on the country’s defence industry, are fully equipped to respond to any threat," Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), quoted Majid Ebn-e-Reza as saying in a message shared on his social media account.
Majid Ebn-e-Reza warned that nations that want to buy security and military superiority from abroad will soon realise that the indigenous technology of Iran is superior to any system in the region, IRNA reported.
His statement comes amid renewed tensions between Tehran and Washington and US President Donald Trump threatening to strike Iran again.
Trump said on Tuesday (US local time) that Iran will be "hit very hard" if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened "very soon."
The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. It is one of the world's most important energy corridors, carrying oil and Liquefied Natural Gas exports from major Gulf producers to international markets.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump said the United States is "having very good discussions" with Iran. However, Iran denied having any talks with Washington.
Trump earlier warned that he was giving Iran a “last chance before decapitation”, he said that they were talking about opening the Strait of Hormuz “literally by tomorrow”.
“I mean they're going to go quickly, one way or the other. It's not very complex”, he said at the Oval Office on Monday.
"We're talking about the Strait, the opening of the Strait, having it open, literally by tomorrow”, he said, but Iran has denied there were any talks with the US.
While addressing a news briefing in Tehran, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said, "We are not holding any negotiations with the United States at present."
Speaking a few hours before Trump, he said that except for Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who is on a pilgrimage to Iraq, all the negotiators were in Iran.
