“The enemy cannot start a new war, but it wants to keep the country in a warlike atmosphere filled with worry and tension,” said Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naeini on Thursday.

“For this purpose, it pursues psychological operations. We are not the initiators of war, nor do we fear it. We tell the people of Iran not to worry; if war occurs, we hold the upper hand and possess a deterrent power that will make the enemy regret.”

The remarks came after the 12-day war that erupted on June 13, when Israel launched an unprovoked act of aggression, assassinating senior commanders, nuclear scientists, and killing hundreds of civilians. The United States also joined the war by bombing three Iranian nuclear sites in a clear violation of international law.

On June 24, Iran, through its successful retaliatory operations against both the Israeli regime and the US, managed to impose a halt to the terrorist aggression.

Naeini said Israel’s security doctrine had collapsed during the war, saying the regime miscalculated Iran’s strength and wrongly believed Iranians would capitulate after an initial strike. Instead, he said, “the people gave a crushing response to the delusional enemy.”