Tehran (TDI): Iran’s military has become stronger and more prepared since the beginning of its war with the United States and Israel, an Iranian army spokesman said Saturday, as Washington announced a reward of up to $20 million for information related to Tehran’s nuclear program.
Army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said Iranian forces had gained experience through direct confrontation with the United States and Israel and were now operating with greater alertness, confidence and determination.
“Today, the Islamic Republic’s armed forces… having gained experience from direct confrontation with the United States and the Israeli regime, are on higher alert and are stronger than they were at the beginning of the war,” he said, according to Iran’s state news agency IRNA.
He added that the forces now possessed greater motivation, commitment and self-confidence. Akraminia also said Iran retained control over the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, warning that the waterway would remain closed until Tehran’s demands were met by Washington.
The strait is a critical international shipping route through which approximately one-fifth of global oil consumption normally passes. Iran has sought to restrict maritime traffic through the passage amid the conflict.
The army spokesman further warned that, under the direction of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s armed forces would respond immediately and effectively to any threat, without geographical limitations.
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Meanwhile, the United States has announced a reward of up to $20 million, along with possible relocation assistance, for information concerning Iran’s nuclear program.
The reward is being offered under the State Department’s Rewards for Justice program, established in 1984 to obtain information that could protect American lives and national security interests.
In its statement, the State Department said Iran’s failure to comply with safeguards obligations under the International Atomic Energy Agency had resulted in the agency losing what it described as “continuity of knowledge” regarding the production and inventory of key components, including centrifuges.
The department did not specify the precise information required to qualify for the maximum reward.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that American military strikes have effectively destroyed Iran’s nuclear program.
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Speaking in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday, Trump defended the US military campaign, saying that without American strikes, Israel would not exist in its current form.
He also argued that Iran would have used nuclear weapons if it had acquired them, claiming that such a development could have devastated the Middle East.
