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21 September 2012 - 19:09

Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said the Iranian Armed Forces are fully prepared to defend the country against any king of threat, although no enemy dares to attack Iran.

"Today, our country's Armed Forces are at the peak of (military) preparedness and no one dares to wage an attack on Iran," Sayyari told reporters on the sidelines of military parades in Tehran on Friday.

Sayyari further pointed to the massive military parades staged in Tehran and other cities across the country on Friday to mark the start of the national Week of Sacred Defense, and stated that the parades demonstrated the Iranian Armed Forces preparedness to defend the country against all types of threats in the air, on land, on sea and in the space.

The Sacred Defense Week, commemorating Iranians' sacrifices during the 8 years of the Iraqi imposed war on Iran in 1980s, officially started on Friday with nationwide parades by various units of the Islamic Republic Army, Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Basij (volunteer) forces and the Law Enforcement Police troops.

The ceremony took place at the mausoleum of the Founder of the Islamic Republic, the Late Imam Khomeini, in Southern Tehran.

The remarks by the Iranian commander came as Israel and its close ally the United States have recently intensified their war rhetoric against Iran. The two arch foes of the Islamic Republic accuse Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon, while they have never presented any corroborative document to substantiate their allegations. Both Washington and Tel Aviv possess advanced weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear warheads.

Iran vehemently denies the charges, insisting that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. Tehran stresses that the country has always pursued a civilian path to provide power to the growing number of Iranian population, whose fossil fuel would eventually run dry.

Iran has, in return, warned that it would target Israel and its worldwide interests in case it comes under attack by the Tel Aviv.

The United States has long stressed that military action is a main option for the White House to deter Iran's progress in the field of nuclear technology.

Iran has warned that in case of an attack by either the US or Israel, it will target 32 American bases in the Middle East and close the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

An estimated 40 percent of the world's oil supply passes through the waterway.
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News ID 182783