DM: Armed forces fully prepared to defend Iran

Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi lauded the Iranian nation's resistance against the US, and underscored that the Iranian Armed Forces are fully prepared to defend the country."Armed Forces, the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran in particular, are present on the scene more prepared, stronger and more powerful than ever," Vahidi said at a conference here in Tehran on Saturday. He pointed to Iran's long history of resistance against the US and its full ability to defend its interests, and noted that the Armed Forces' successful downing of the hi-tech US stealth drone earlier this month displayed the Islamic Republic of Iran's capability to the world. Iran first announced on December 4 that its defense forces had downed the aircraft through a sophisticated cyber attack. The drone is the first such loss by the US. US officials have described the loss of the aircraft in Iran as a setback and a fatal blow to the stealth drone program. Yesterday, senior Iranian military officials warned the United States to avoid any more spy mission against Iran, saying that they would bring down any US drone which violates the country's airspace. Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani cautioned that Iran won't remain silent to incursions by foreign surveillance drones. The remarks came in response to US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta who said Wednesday that America will continue to conduct intelligence operations such as the one that led to the loss of its RQ-170 Sentinel over Iran two weeks ago. Iranian officials and commanders have warned that any enemy move, even the slightest aggressions, against the Islamic Republic would be reciprocated with a destructive response and will endanger the US interests all around the world. In November, Lieutenant Commander of the Iranian Army Brigadier General Abdul-Rahim Moussavi said that the country's Armed Forces are so powerful that they can give a proper response to any kind of enemy threat. "The Armed Forces, including the Army and the IRGC, are fully prepared to confront any threat posed by foreign enemies to the holy land of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Moussavi told FNA at the time.