Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has renewed pressure on the United States, claiming it has replenished its missile and drone stockpiles during the ceasefire at a faster pace than before the war.
According to foreign media reports on Thursday, local time, IRGC Aerospace Force Commander Mousavi said in a video message detailing the resupply process that "the pace at which missile and drone launchers were modernized and replenished during the pause in combat was much faster than before the war."
"The enemy (the United States and Israel) cannot create such conditions on its own and has no choice but to airlift supplies one by one from the other side of the globe," Mousavi said. "They were defeated in this phase of the war as well, losing the strait, Lebanon and the entire region."
The remarks came shortly after Iran responded with a counter-operation to the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran has kept the door open for negotiations while maintaining that it can resume attacks at any time — a move interpreted as a pressure tactic to gain the upper hand at the bargaining table.
A day earlier, Mohammad Reza Naqdi, a senior adviser to the IRGC commander, also dismissed U.S. and Israeli claims that Iran's military capabilities had been destroyed, saying, "If hostilities resume, we can launch the latest missiles and drones manufactured this month."
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the same day, "The United States says Iran should not exercise its nuclear rights, but a country's legal rights cannot be stripped away." He added, "Iran is acting not to expand the war but in self-defense." He further condemned the actions, stating, "Assassinations, attacks on energy facilities and the killing of 168 students cannot be justified under any circumstances."
