President Saddam Hussein urged Iraqis to fight hard if the United States attacked, warning that any invasion would lead to the spilling of American blood.
In a speech shown on Iraqi television after he was sworn in for a new seven-year term, Saddam said: "The road of blood takes you to more blood and he who tries to shed the blood of others must expect his blood to be spilled."
Saddam, facing the prospect of a US invasion to topple him, told Iraqis that they might find themselves soon faced with a major war - the third in his 23-year rule.
"If God Almighty...decides to put you again to the test in a situation of fighting on a large scale, then the Almighty, the nation and history will expect you to deliver an effective stand...in defence of the homeland...," he said.
"Afterwards, the enemy will fall on its face, despised, condemned and defeated," Saddam said.