The Iranian Basij (volunteer) forces are always ready to defend the country against enemy threats and aggressions, Lieutenant Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Brigadier General Hossein Salami said on Thursday.

Basij forces are completely prepared for a full-fledged defense against any threats and would "bury enemies' dreams" of inflicting a damage on the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Salami made the remarks addressing Basij forces and a group of the IRGC commanders in a ceremony held in the Iranian capital to start a three-day maneuver by Basij forces.

The commander referred to Basij as a "formula for strategic defense" made by the Father of the Islamic Revolution the late Imam Khomeini.

He stressed that Basij forces would never give in to the enemies' threats.

Israel and its close ally the United States 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 warned that it would target Israel and its worldwide interests in case it comes under attack by the Tel Aviv.

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

In response, Iran has warned it would hit the US, Israel and their worldwide interests and close the strategic Strait of Hormuz if it became the target of a military attack over its nuclear program.

Strait of Hormuz, the entrance to the strategic Persian Gulf waterway, is a major oil shipping route.
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News ID 183091