Iran warned on Tuesday that any US ground offensive against the country would be met with heavy resistance, saying invading forces would lose their technological advantage once the conflict shifted to close-range combat.
Speaking to Radio Goftogoo, Iranian army spokesman Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Akraminia said the military had prepared detailed operational plans for every possible invasion route and had repeatedly rehearsed them during military exercises.
“We have read the enemy’s hand. We have pre-planned scenarios for every one of these areas, and we have practiced them many times in exercises,” Akraminia was quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency.
“Any aggressor entering these areas will immediately come under heavy fire aimed at destroying them,” he added.
Akraminia argued that while long-range warfare relies heavily on advanced technology, a ground invasion would become “face-to-face” combat, reducing the effectiveness of technologically superior forces and increasing their vulnerability in unfamiliar terrain.
He also said Iranian troops were motivated by religious conviction and extensive military training, contrasting them with US forces, whom he claimed were primarily motivated by pay and benefits.
The spokesman added that Iran had completed the organisation of retired military personnel who volunteered for service following the latest conflict. He said the country has a reserve force of around 2.5 million former conscripts and career personnel, although there is currently no need to mobilise them.
The remarks came as hostilities between the United States and Iran continued to intensify, with both sides exchanging strikes on military targets across the region.
The latest escalation follows the apparent collapse of a Pakistan-brokered memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in June, which had been intended to end the conflict and pave the way for a lasting peace agreement.