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News ID: 57247
Publish Date : 10 September 2018 - 21:26
Top Security Official Shamkhani:

Iran to Respond to Any Hostile Action 10-Fold

TEHRAN (Dispatches) -- A senior Iranian security official said Monday Tehran will respond to any hostile action against the country and that the era of "hit and run" was over.
Iran's relations with the United States have grown tense since Washington quit a 2015 international nuclear deal with Tehran and reimposed sanctions, with the U.S. administration warning it would exert "maximum pressure" on Iran.
"The era of hit and run is over in the world and any hostile measure against our country will be responded to by Tehran 10-fold. We are capable of protecting ourselves in every field," Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security council, said.
"Iran's recent reaction in Iraq's Kurdistan was an example of Tehran's responding to any threat," he said.
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) fired seven missiles in an attack on Iraq-based terrorists that killed at least 11 high-ranking officials on Saturday.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said earlier this month that there is no possibility of a military war on Iran given the ongoing political considerations, but the country's armed forces must continue to upgrade their human and military hardware capabilities.
In August, Washington imposed sanctions on the acquisition of U.S. dollars by Iran, and its trade in gold and precious metals. On Nov. 4 Washington will reimpose sanctions on Iran’s oil exports and banking sector.
Iran and other signatories of the nuclear deal, including Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China, have been working to find a way to salvage the agreement despite U.S. pressures.
Iran has called on European powers to accelerate their efforts if they want Tehran to stay in the pact, including measures to guarantee Iranian oil sales.
The United States is pushing Iran's oil buyers to cut their purchases to zero, although it may issue some waivers. Iran’s vice president said such efforts to cut Iran's crude exports were "nonsense".
"However, there is a possibility of Iran’s oil sales dropping," Es’haq Jahangiri said on Monday.
"But despite all these pressures and hardships, the (Iranian) government is wholeheartedly looking for solutions to defuse America's plans."
Iran mainly sells oil to China, Japan, South Korea, India and the EU. Several importers of Iranian crude have opposed unilateral U.S. sanctions on Iran, but some have already cut purchases of Iranian oil.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Shamkhani said U.S. sanctions on Iran were aimed at restricting the capacities and power of the Iranian nation.
"Just in the same way that we did with regard to security and defense, we are also able to make our economy immune to foreign sanctions and powerful," he said.