Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri reviews Iranian military drones.  (Photo: IRNA)

Tehran, January 5 (RHC)-- Iran’s top military commander says the country’s Armed Forces are optimally alert and “have fingers on the trigger” to respond to the slightest mistake by enemy forces in the region.

Referring to the ongoing military buildup by the “terrorist and criminal military” of the United States in the region and accusations against Iran, Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri said on Tuesday that the Iranian military was fully prepared to defend against any aggression.

He was speaking on the sidelines of a large-scale drill by Iran’s Army, which the general said was intended to showcase Iranian preparedness against military threats.  “Although the Islamic Republic of Iran has no intention of carrying out an act of aggression and violation against any neighboring country, it is fully ready [to counter] any threat,” Major General Baqeri said.

“Our heroic Armed Forces have their fingers on the trigger, and in the event of the slightest mistake by the enemies, the Armed Forces will surely give a resolute response,” he added.  Baqeri’s remarks come amid heightened tensions between Iran and the U.S. during President Donald Trump’s final days in office.

On Sunday, acting U.S. Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller instructed the USS Nimitz to remain in the Persian Gulf due to what he described as Iranian threats “against President Trump and other U.S. government officials,” reversing an earlier decision to move the aircraft carrier out of the Middle East.

Last week, two nuclear-capable American B-52 bombers flew over the Persian Gulf after nonstop flights to the region from their US-based hangars. The nuclear-powered submarine USS Georgia also arrived in the Persian Gulf accompanied by two American warships.

The U.S. military buildup comes during the one-year anniversary of the assassination by the US military of Iran’s top anti-terror commander, Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani.

Earlier, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Division Brigadier General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh warned certain regional Arab countries against the adverse consequences of cooperation with the United States and the Israeli regime, saying they would sustain the most damage in case of any possible war in the region.

“If something happens here (in the region) and a war breaks out, we will make no distinction between the US bases and the countries hosting them,” Hajizadeh said.