Iran boosts defences after POTUS leaves room for 'Mother of all Bombs'

Iran said it's strengthened its military defenses against a potential resumption of US strikes, the latest sign that the Islamic Republic is bracing for a return to all-out war as its tense standoff with Washington continues.

"Today, we possess a much higher level of defensive capability than during the war, and even before it began," Army Spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said, according to the semi-official Iranian Students' News Agency.

The army has repaired a "significant portion of the defensive equipment damaged during the war," and "new equipment" has also been acquired to expand air defense coverage, Akraminia added. The comments came after US President Donald Trump declined to rule out using a weapon known as the "Mother of all Bombs" against Iran after midterm elections in an interview to Newsmax on Thursday.


They also underline a growing sense among Iranian officials that Trump will resume the bombing campaign he launched with Israel in February and later paused, as diplomatic talks over control of the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's nuclear program appear deadlocked.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has taken part in joint drills with the army involving the new equipment, which he didn't specify, as well as "combined and innovative operations," Akraminia said, without elaborating.

The US-Israeli strikes triggered a war and an energy crisis in the Persian Gulf after Iran retaliated by striking critical infrastructure in oil-rich Gulf Arab states that are allies of Washington.

"All sources we consult to gauge the enemy's intent agree that a threat is imminent," Mahdi Mohammadi, an aide to Iran's lead negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said in a Telegram post on Friday.

"There is complete consensus on this point across our analytical apparatus."

In addition to bolstering defenses at home, Iran is also threatening to target US naval vessels that are enforcing a blockade of the Islamic Republic's southern ports.

Protecting Riyadh

The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said on Friday that it intercepted missiles and drones over Riyadh and other areas, as the kingdom comes under sustained attack from its Iran-backed foes.