Speaking at a meeting with senior officials of the state IRIB broadcaster, Aref said the Iranian administration has faced a “state of war” since its first day in office last year.
“Our strategy has been that people should live in peace and continue their work, while we prepare for the worst scenarios,” he noted.
Aref revealed that the government drafted a “war economy” plan early in its term to respond effectively to any crisis.
He noted that despite external pressure, the recent 12-day standoff with the US and Israel in the region turned out to be “one of the calmest periods” domestically.
Addressing European threats of reimposing sanctions, Aref said: “They can play their last card, but we haven’t even revealed our first.”
He added that the Iranian nation, drawing on the experiences of the eight-year war with Iraq in the 1980s and years of sanctions, will stand resilient against Western pressure.
