Iran warns of response without ‘geographical limits’
Iran’s top military commander has warned that the country’s armed forces would respond to any threat without geographical limits, while setting out five conditions Tehran considers necessary for lasting security.
Maj-General Ali Abdollahi, chief of staff of Iran’s Armed Forces and commander of the Khatam Al Anbiya Central Headquarters, said the military had the capacity to strike both the material and non-material assets of its adversaries, according to state broadcaster IRIB.
He described Iran as a “fourth centre of global power”, citing its control over the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy route, and its ability to determine the rules governing passage through the waterway.
Abdollahi said Tehran’s conditions for lasting security included an end to wars on all fronts, particularly in Lebanon and Gaza, and a rejection of negotiations conducted under military threats.
He also called for the complete removal of sanctions against Iran, the release of its frozen assets and compensation for damage caused by wars.
He said Iran considered itself a “creditor rather than a debtor” in this regard.
The remaining conditions were recognition of Iran’s sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, replacing the US-led security framework with what he called a “Hormuz mechanism”, and guarantees against renewed military attacks through security arrangements led by countries in the region.
The remarks came amid continued tensions between Tehran and Washington following the war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran on February 28.
Iran has repeatedly demanded an end to the US naval blockade and the lifting of economic sanctions as part of efforts to reach a diplomatic settlement.
Separately, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who leads Tehran’s negotiating team, said on Tuesday that Iran had delivered a “firm and rational” response to Washington, adding that the United States must now decide whether to prevent another war.
Ghalibaf warned that any renewed US military action would prompt an “unpredictable” Iranian response without geographical limits.