In comments on Sunday, Taeb said the US and the Zionist regime miscalculated Iran’s resilience after failing to achieve their military objectives, and have subsequently shifted toward economic pressure, insecurity, proxy groups, and regional and international alliances to pursue a new phase of confrontation.

He said the US and the Israeli regime had initially believed they could force the Iranian nation to surrender through a three-day war or a six-week conflict, assuming that the nation’s resistance had weakened after their military setbacks.

“These assessments turned out to be completely wrong,” the cleric said, stressing that the Iranian people and Armed Forces have not faltered but have stood firm. He added that the Americans have come to realize their calculations were mistaken.

Referring to the impact of the economic war waged by the US and the unpredictable nature of Iran’s response, Taeb said Washington is witnessing the consequences of its economic campaign.

“Why don’t the Americans enter a direct war? One reason is their retreat, and the second is the unpredictability of our defense strategy in this new phase — where we respond, what means we use, and when we respond,” he explained.

Taeb added that most US intelligence agencies are publicly acknowledging that Iran’s response in a possible future war would be unpredictable, leaving them to speculate about what Tehran might do.

He emphasized that the readiness of Iran’s Armed Forces must translate into deterrent power so that adversaries would not contemplate another act of aggression.

“But if they (enemies) ever make a mistake, they must know that an unpredictable response will follow,” the commander of Basij warned.