This handout picture released by the U.S. Navy on May 8, 2019 shows the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) while conducting a replenishment-at-sea with the fast combat support ship USNS Arctic (T-AOE 9), while MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopters assigned to the "Nightdippers" of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 5, transfer stores between the ships. (U.S. Navy Office of Information)

TEHRAN, May 15 (Xinhua) -- The Islamic republic is at the highest level of preparedness to counter any military threat against the country, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami said here on Wednesday.

"Today, the Islamic Republic of Iran stands at the peak of defense preparedness to counter any threat or act of aggression," Hatami was quoted as saying by the state TV.

Iran has attained such a high level of preparedness despite being under sanctions, he said.

U.S. sanctions against the country have failed to hinder Iran's boosting of its defense power, he added.

On Tuesday, the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ruled out the possibility of a war between Tehran and Washington, despite the rising tensions that have fueled worries about an armed conflict between the two rivals. Enditem