TEHRAN (Dispatches) -- Iran’s Defense Minister General Amir Hatami said Sunday the U.S. would even deprive Iranian people of access to water and oxygen in order to advance its so-called "maximum pressure” campaign.
 "Today, the U.S. strategy against us is maximum pressure, which means that Americans will deprive the Iranians of oxygen and water if they can, and that is not a slogan,” Hatami said.
Iran’s resistance, however, forced the enemies to change their policy from "maximum pressure to maximum begging”, he said, referring to repeated calls by U.S. President Donald Trump and other American leaders for direct negotiations with Tehran without preconditions.
Speaking at an event to commemorate the Sacred Defense Week here, Hatami further referred to Iran’s downing of an intruding U.S. Global Hawk drone, and said the move sent the message that any aggression would be strongly dealt with.
Hatami said targeting the U.S. drone showed that the Islamic Republic is able to manufacture all the defense equipment it needs.
The minister warned that the Islamic Republic will decisively respond to any act of aggression and in case of repeated aggression the enemies will receive a more decisive response.
Hatami said the only path forward to resist the enemy’s existential threats is to rely on domestic capabilities.
Elsewhere in his remarks, he also rejected accusations that Tehran was behind recent drone strikes on Saudi Arabia’s Aramco oil facilities, which were claimed by Yemen’s Ansarullah forces.
The general said Riyadh thinks it will be spared the embarrassment if it blames the attacks on a stronger opponent.