“We are ready to confront decisively and crushingly any threat and aggression from regional and trans-regional enemies, and we will not allow anyone to make any aggression against the independence, security and territorial integrity of this holy land,” Major General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri said in a statement on Tuesday.

Bagheri, the chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, claimed that, whether they like it or not, nations around the globe must now accept Iran’s position as a world power and its emergence as the main player in the region.

“Today, the world powers are terrified by observing the geopolitical and strategic capacities, progress, and capabilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the general noted, adding that other countries can only sit and watch Iran’s development.

Bagheri stated that Iran’s investment in indigenous defensive technology and its own military capacity has created a situation of strategic balance whereby Tehran’s enemies have had to think twice before moving against it.

Iran has been increasingly keen to demonstrate its own defensive capabilities in recent weeks, holding multiple wargames, military drills, and unveiling the latest homegrown hardware.

On Monday, Iran unveiled its latest homegrown military hardware, 340 missile-carrying speedboats capable of cruising at 90 knots per hour, in front of the armed forces top brass, amid a buildup of foreign naval assets in the Persian Gulf.