Iran’s top military commander says boosting civil defense across the armed forces is a “vital and definitive necessity” in the face of US-Israeli threats to attack critical Iranian infrastructure.
Major General Ali Abdollahi, Chief of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces and commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, made the remarks in a message issued on Saturday to mark Civil Defense Week.
Pointing to the lessons learned from recent US-Israeli “imposed and hybrid wars” against Iran, Gen. Abdollahi said implementing civil defense requirements across all areas of the armed forces, in line with enemy threats and using modern, scientific methods, was imperative.
He added that dynamism, creativity and innovation were essential to overcoming “diverse and emerging” threats.
The top military commander described civil defense as the art of prevention, vigilance and establishing lasting protection against threats.
He said civil defense amounts to a “strategic asset” in today’s security environment, which is characterized by increasingly modern, complex, hybrid and multilayered threats.
It plays an “unparalleled” role in protecting personnel, safeguarding vital infrastructure and assets, ensuring cybersecurity and maintaining operational continuity during wartime and crises, Gen. Abdollahi stressed.
He noted that knowledge, commitment, and a preventive and proactive approach were key to paving the way for security, national strength, and sustainable development.
The commander reiterated that the strategic objective was to reduce vulnerabilities, raise the threshold for withstanding attacks, strengthen resilience, and ensure the continued functioning of the armed forces’ main components.
He added that these goals can be achieved through commitment to the principles of passive defense.
Gen. Abdollahi also wished the armed forces success in advancing the country’s civil defense program, strengthening preparedness and resilience at all levels, and implementing the guidance of Leader of the Islamic Revolution and Commander-in-Chief Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei.
Abdollahi’s message comes on the same day that Ayatollah Khamenei ordered senior military commanders to ensure that any level or type of enemy threat is met with an “immediate, impactful, and geographically unrestricted response.”
The United States and the Israeli regime waged their first illegal war against Iran, which lasted 12 days, in June 2025. Their second aggression began on February 28, 2026, and came to a halt in early April after 40 days.
In both wars, Iran’s resistance and decisive retaliatory operations forced the aggressors to accept a ceasefire.
Iran has also maintained a tight grip on the Strait of Hormuz since the early days of the second imposed war amid acts of mischief by Washington in the region.
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