Reuters – Nov 30, 2014 – Iran’s supreme leader Khamenei said on Sunday the armed forces should increase their combat capability regardless of political considerations, in an apparent allusion to continuing nuclear talks with the West aimed at easing tension in the Middle East.
“Given our vast maritime borders and the enemy’s huge investments in this area, our armed forces should continuously improve their (combat) readiness, irrespective of political calculations,” Khamenei told a gathering of senior navy officials during a ceremony to mark the “Navy Week” in Iran.
Khamenei, who commands all branches of the armed forces in addition to other key centers of power in the Islamic republic, did not mention any countries by name but he normally uses “enemy” to refer mainly to the United States and Britain.
Despite his reserved support for the negotiations, Khamenei, perceived by many as a hardliner, remains distrustful of Western intentions in the region and insists that Iran’s defense capability, including its controversial missile program, must not be part of any broad diplomatic deal.
“The range of (our) missiles covers all of Israel today،” the chief of the Revolutionary Guards, General Mohammad Ali Jafari, said last week. “That means the fall of the Zionist regime, which will certainly come soon.”