Iran says it has equipped army with 1,000 drones and warns it has prepared a 'crushing response' after latest US threats

The head of the Iranian army, Amir Hatami, announced on Thursday that he has equipped the combat regiments with 1,000 drones and declares himself ready for a “crushing response” given to any external threat, as Donald Trump seems to renew his pressure and, according to sources, to consider a new targeted attack on Iran. Meanwhile, the European Union decided to put the elite troops of the Islamic regime, the Revolutionary Guard Corps, on the list of terrorist organizations, all these tensions accumulating following the violent repression of the largest protests that the leadership in Tehran faced in recent decades.

The United States threatened Iran with a military intervention following the repression of the demonstrators, but the regime in Tehran shows its inflexibility. After the statements of the head of Iranian diplomacy, Abbas Araghchi, who stated that the armed forces have “the finger on the trigger”, the head of the army Amir Hatami announced that he has equipped the combat regiments with 1000 drones, reports AFP, according to News.ro.

In the face of the “threats we face”, the army has “the priority of consolidating its strategic advantages in view of a quick and crushing response to any invasion and attack”, said the general, quoted by state television. In particular, Iran has threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, a key crossing point for the world's transportation of oil and liquefied natural gas.

The Kayhan daily, close to power, said in an editorial on Thursday that “closing the strait is the right of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

“If the enemy draws his sword, we will not greet him with a diplomatic smile,” adds the newspaper.

These new statements come a day after threats by US President Donald Trump, who warned Tehran that “time is limited” before a possible US attack, “more serious” than the one last June against Iran's nuclear facilities. At the same time, Washington deployed naval forces in the Gulf, including the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln.

For its part, the European Union also intensifies its pressure. The 27 member states decided on Thursday that they will add the Revolutionary Guards, the armed wing of the Islamic Republic, to the list of terrorist organizations, in response to the most violent repression in the country's recent history.

“If you act like a terrorist, you must be treated as such,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said shortly before the start of the G27 foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels. Several countries, including France, Spain, Belgium and Italy, declared themselves in favor of this decision.

The Revolutionary Guards are accused by human rights organizations of orchestrating the bloody repression of the vast protest movement that shook the country, causing thousands of deaths.

Iran has warned that there will be “destructive consequences” if the EU takes this decision, which would have a limited impact, as the Guardians are already subject to European sanctions.

The head of Iranian diplomacy is going to Turkey on Friday

However, diplomatic avenues do not seem exhausted yet. After negotiations with the Gulf countries that oppose an American intervention, the head of Iranian diplomacy will travel to Turkey on Friday, a country that wants to play the role of a mediator between Tehran and Washington.

The Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, “will reiterate Turkey's opposition to any military intervention against Iran,” according to a source in the ministry who spoke on condition of anonymity.

In an interview granted to the CNN channel and broadcast on Thursday by the Irna agency, the Speaker of the Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, declared himself open to a “real dialogue and in accordance with international norms” with the United States.

“As long as there are no guarantees for the rights of the Iranian people and the dignity of the Iranian nation is not respected, there are naturally no negotiations,” he warned.

Moscow, for its part, believes that the potential of the negotiations is “far from being exhausted”, calling on “all parties” to “restrain”.