Iran's central military command has rejected US President Donald Trump's threat to destroy the country's vital infrastructure if it does not accept a peace deal within 48 hours.
In a statement, Iranian military General Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi called Trump's threat 'a helpless, nervous, unbalanced and stupid action.'
He warned that 'the simple meaning of this message is that the gates of hell will open for you.'
This comes after Trump repeated his threats to intensify attacks on Iran if it failed to reach a deal or open the Strait of Hormuz strategic waterway.
Israel is also preparing to attack Iranian energy facilities, with a senior defence official saying that Tel Aviv was awaiting the green light from Washington.
A timeframe for such attacks would be within the next week, the official told Reuters.
Iran's leadership has been defiant since the start of the war, although its foreign minister left the door open in principle for peace talks with the US via mediation from Pakistan.
