Saeid Jalili, the representative of Mojtaba Khamenei in the Supreme National Security Council, said that the notion that “issues can be resolved through negotiations” must be corrected, and that deterrence is formed when the other side knows that its actions will not go unanswered.

He said that the capacity of the Strait of Hormuz should be used “to the fullest extent.”

Jalili, speaking among students in Mashhad, said that last year the belief took hold that problems could be solved through negotiations, but that the other side attacked the Islamic Republic in the middle of the talks.

A member of the Expediency Discernment Council said that the Islamic Republic, with 15 neighbors, access to the sea, and access to oil, gas, and mineral resources, has the capacity to withstand economic pressures and must use these opportunities with initiative.

Jalili said that war is not limited to the military arena and also includes economic, political, media, and security domains, and that the Islamic Republic must be prepared for the other side’s actions in proportion to these conditions.