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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran has deployed air defense forces across more than 3,800 locations, a senior military official said Tuesday, as another high-ranking official signaled preparation for potential US escalation - a day after President Donald Trump warned of retaliatory action against Tehran following Iranian counterstrikes on American bases.
Brigadier General Mohammad Sadeghian, deputy coordinator of the Iranian Army's Air Defense Force, told the semi-official Fars News Agency that "defense forces are present at more than 3,800 points across the country," adding that "many of these points are located in impassable terrain," as "Iran is a country with diverse geography, and defense forces are deployed in deserts, coasts, islands, and at high altitudes."
He further pointed to new strategies adopted in the aftermath of the 12-day Iran-Israel war in June 2025 and the six-week conflict between the United States and Israel on one side and Iran on the other in late February - both marked by an increased presence of foreign drones in certain areas, including the capital's airspace.
“We have made modifications to defense systems; software was updated, new deployments were executed, and fresh designs were implemented,” he said, also outlining a multi-layered surveillance approach in which "lookout forces equipped with specialized equipment, electro-optical systems, and modern technologies, alongside the radar network, monitor and track the country's skies and beyond, around the clock."
Sadeghian's remarks come a day after US President Trump described the Iranian establishment as "failed" in a Truth Social post Monday, adding that "they have no Navy, they have no Air Force, they have no currency, they are not paying their soldiers or police, inflation is at 300%," with leadership in "total disarray."
Earlier Monday, the US commander-in-chief told Fox News that "there will be a response" to Iran's strikes against American bases in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
"We are going to hit them hard," Trump said, adding that "Iranians want to meet so badly, but I am not sure they want to make a deal."
The remarks came as Washington carried out airstrikes on Iran's Larak Island in the southern Hormozgan province late Sunday. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the "limited, precise action" targeted Iranian army "minelaying forces."
For his part, Brigadier General Alireza Elhami, deputy commander of the Iranian Army Air Defense Force, on Tuesday signaled further preparations in case of additional escalation, stating that “brand-new, fully domestic manufactured air defense systems are currently under design and production.”
These projects are gradually being turned into operational products, noting that "there are no known foreign counterparts for them,” Elhami told Fars News, adding that “one of the major advantages of indigenous systems is the enemy's limited knowledge of their specifications” and accordingly “a clear understanding of how to counter them.”
