The chief commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has reacted to the recent remarks by US President Donald Trump about Iran, saying the comments attest to the fact that he has recognized the real scope of the Islamic Republic’s military prowess.

Speaking alongside Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump stated “They (Iran) are not weak. They’re very strong right now.”

“This is one of Trump’s most accurate statements; because he has looked at the matter realistically. In a wrestling bout, the opposite side understands the power better. When two wrestlers come to grips, each can better understand the power of the other,” Major General Hossein Salami told reporters during a ceremony in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas on Thursday.

The IRGC chief commander added that Trump became well aware of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s might during his first term in office, and made a judgment on the basis of such a fact.

“He has made an absolutely correct comment. Iran has not weakened but on the contrary, has become much stronger than before. This power has nowadays become clearly evident, and everyone is witnessing it,” Salami stated.

Commenting on Trump’s restoration of the so-called “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, the IRGC chief commander said anti-Iran pressures also existed during the first tenure of Trump and by pursuing such a policy, the United States sought to choke off all economic lifelines of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

“The outcome of such sanctions and pressures, however, was not the country’s stagnation, but rather further prosperity of our national economy.”

Referring to Iran’s growing defense capabilities, Salami said, “Our progress in the defense field continues unabated, and the rate of unveiling new achievements is sometimes weekly and monthly. In fact, every week and every month we witness a new leap in the military field.”

The IRGC chief commander also hailed Iran’s scientific and technological advances.

“The youth and the Iranian nation, under the great leadership of the [Islamic] establishment, have realized they must strengthen themselves to neutralize the sanctions,” he said. 

He went on to highlight Iran’s countless indigenous capacities, emphasizing that the Islamic Republic’s strategy in the face of the so-called “maximum pressure” campaign would be maximum production, endeavors, determination, and resistance.

The IRGC chief commander stressed that Iran is a great country that never surrenders to foreign pressure.

“We will continue to take steps towards strengthening the country’s defense and economic power, and will stand firm against any threat,” Salami stated.

He said, “The nation will not cave in the face of pressures and will always move forward on its path with a strong will. Our path is the path towards independence, freedom, and power. We will not deviate from this path in any way.”

The IRGC chief also pointed to Iran’s relations with neighboring countries and underlined that such ties are anchored in the principle of interaction and common security.

“Strengthening interactions with neighboring countries will increase security in the region,” he stated.

Commenting on the Palestinian issue, Salami described Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank as the original owners of the Israeli-occupied lands, stating they will stay there forever.

“Those who should leave are the emigrants who were relocated from other countries to Palestine, and usurped the homeland of oppressed Palestinian people,” he said.