Shafaq News- Tehran
Iran has received new military equipment and defense systems intended to reinforce its deterrent capabilities, the General Staff of the Armed Forces announced on Saturday.
In remarks carried by Iranian media, Major General Hossein Ashtari, a senior adviser to the armed forces chief of staff, assessed Iran’s defensive posture as having reached an “effective deterrence” level. Tehran, he stressed, does not seek confrontation or initiate hostilities but would respond decisively to any attack on its sovereignty, in line with directives from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Ashtari added that Iran’s current military strength surpasses its capabilities during the 12-day confrontation with Israel last June. He described the upgraded systems as sufficient to deter “military adventurism,” warning that adversaries are aware of the newly deployed assets.
In a separate statement, Chief of the Iranian Armed Forces General Staff Abdolrahim Mousavi warned that any military action against Iran would carry “heavy costs” and could broaden the conflict across the region. Marking Air Force Day, he argued that attempts to impose war on Iran would fail strategically and bring “serious and irreparable consequences” for those responsible.
The statements coincided with heightened tensions following the conclusion on Friday of US-Iran nuclear talks in Muscat, held under Omani mediation. The discussions brought together a US delegation led by envoy Steve Witkoff and an Iranian team headed by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, while uncertainty continues to surround the future of the diplomatic track.
Citing a source familiar with the matter, Axios reported that Washington dispatched Witkoff and Envoy Jared Kushner to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, currently deployed in the Arabian Sea, to signal that President Donald Trump has other options if negotiations collapse. According to the report, the USS Lincoln and its strike group would form the core of any potential US military action against Iran.
Read more: US, Israel, and Iran step up military readiness as regional tensions grow