Iran's army commander has warned the United States and other Western powers not to make any "stupid move" over Tehran's nuclear work, and suggested they would be surprised by Iran's military response if they attacked.
The comments by the commander-in-chief of the army, reported by newspapers on Saturday, were the latest in a series of defiant statements by Iran's leadership as the United Nations prepares to vote on new sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
Iran is embroiled in an escalating dispute over its uranium enrichment, which Iran says is for fuel for power generation but the West suspects is aimed at making nuclear bombs.
The United States says it would prefer a negotiated solution to the crisis, but has not ruled out military options.
Armed forces chief Ataollah Salehi said Iran's military was stronger now than when Iran fought against Iraq in 1980-88.
"And if our bullying enemies make a stupid move, they will certainly be surprised," the daily Siyasat-e Rouz quoted him as saying.
Military experts say Iranian forces are no technological match for the US military but could still cause havoc in the Gulf and the narrow Strait of Hormuz, a choke point through which two-fifths of the world's traded oil passes.
A draft resolution agreed by the UN Security Council's five members with veto power - the United States, France, Britain, China and Russia -
- and Germany was sent to the 15-nation council on Thursday for a vote, expected next week.