"Brave Iranians, disregarding the yells of the White House and arrogant media, will not hesitate for a moment in pursuing their objectives in various fields including nuclear energy," said a statement from the hardline Revolutionary Guards.

"With alertness and iron-like will, (Iran) will inflict serious and repeated defeats on the Great Satan's camp," said the statement carried by the student news agency ISNA.

The United States accuses Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons and has not ruled out using force against Tehran, which inists its nuclear programme is for peaceful energy purposes.

In a separate statement to coincide with Friday's Islamic Republic Day -- which marks the 1979 referendum that saw an Islamic republic established -- Iran's armed forces also vowed that they would "not disperse in the face of threats from the world's arrogance (the United States)."

The command also declared the "complete readiness of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Armed Forces, under the leadership of the supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei, for a full defence of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic and its valuable achievements".

A defence ministry statement also spelled out its support of the "foundations of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic."

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