Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it is stronger now than it was before the 12-day war with Israel started.
Deputy commander Ali Fadavi told state media on Tuesday that “our preparedness today is far greater than it was two months ago”.
It comes as belligerent threats between the two regional foes continue.
“This success exists for us to increase our power and capability, and people see its manifestation in action, like the 12-day war, when the whole world was determined to confront Iran,” Mr Fadavi said.
Israel launched a surprise military offensive on June 13 that eliminated Iranian generals and scientists, while also bombing nuclear enrichment sites and air defences. Iran retaliated by launching missile and drone attacks at Israel.
During the war, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed his forces had destroyed half of Iran's missile launchers.
Fighting stopped after US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire on June 24. Recently, threats between Iran and Israel have escalated, with both sides warning of a possible resumption of hostilities.
A senior Iranian official warned on Monday that war with Israel could erupt at any moment, describing the current lull after June’s 12-day conflict as temporary.
“We must be prepared at every moment for confrontation; right now, we are not even in a ceasefire [agreement]; we are in a cessation of hostilities,” said First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref.
On Sunday, Yahya Safavi, a military adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told Iranian media the country was “preparing plans for the worst-case scenario”.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz last week also renewed threats against Mr Khamenei. In late June, he told Israeli media that the army had tried to kill Mr Khamenei during the war but that the opportunity did not arise.
Amid the threats, the remnants of war continue to affect people in Iran. Munitions left behind exploded on Tuesday in the west of the country, killing one person in Lorestan province, state media said.
“The incident left one person dead and nine people injured,” it said, citing the IRGC.
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Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
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Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
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Industry: Food Technology
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Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
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Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
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It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
