Army Commander Major General Amir Hatami

Iran`s Army Commander Major General Amir Hatami says any enemy provocation will be met with a stronger response, reiterating the need to enhance military preparedness and develop indigenous capabilities to defend the nation.

During a meeting with senior Army commanders and Acting Defense Minister Brigadier General Majid Ibn Reza, Hatami said Iran had emerged as the "definitive winner" of the recent war with the United States and Israel.

"We will respond to every move by the enemy with a response several times stronger, so that it becomes firmly established in their calculations that the Islamic Republic of Iran is fully determined to defend itself and the Iranian people," he said.

"This is our very clear message to the world," Hatami added.

He said Iran`s mission at this "historic juncture" is to enhance military preparedness and increase its power to achieve final victory, because "victory is consolidated through power."

The commander said that now that the Islamic Republic had emerged from the war "stronger and more resilient," the world was recognizing Iran`s real power and treating the country with greater respect.

The Army chief further said that the United States, after being defeated by Iran`s Armed Forces, is once again seeking to achieve its goals by provoking unrest in the country. However, he said, the Iranian people would firmly thwart such plots.

Hatami`s remarks followed deadly US strikes on southern Iran on Tuesday, which prompted missile and drone operations by the IRGC and the Army against US assets across the region.

The latest exchange comes amid significant pressure on US air-defense and drone capabilities, with Iranian officials and military sources claiming that US THAAD and Patriot interceptor stocks have been considerably depleted and that a substantial number of US Reaper drones have been lost during the ongoing conflict.