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Khamenei: Iran must be ready to repel any military attack

The US threatens in the most shameless way to deliver a strike against Iran, Iranian Supreme Leader said

TEHRAN, April 19. /TASS/. Iran must be prepared to repel any military attack, without waiting for any threats posed to the Islamic Republic, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Sunday.

Iran’s most powerful figure made this statement at a meeting with a group of senior army commanders in Tehran.

"We must be prepared for defense, without waiting for direct threats to us," the Iranian TV Channel Press TV quoted his as saying.

"They [the West] threaten Iran and want us to have no capabilities for defense," Iran’s supreme leader said.

"The US threatens in the most shameless way to deliver a strike against Iran. That is why, we must be prepared for defense in any case," Khamenei said.

The Iranian supreme leader made his statement in response to a threat announced in the speech by Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey who stated on April 16 that the possible deliveries of Russian S-300 air defense missile systems to Iran would not affect America’s ability to strike at Tehran’s nuclear facilities, if necessary.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on April 13, allowing the delivery of S-300 air defense missile systems to Iran. The document came into force on the day it was signed.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov later explained that progress on Iran’s nuclear program had made it possible to lift the embargo on delivering S-300 systems to Iran.