Iran says Washington 'won't dare start war' after US military deployment

The head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards has said the United States "would not dare" start a war with Tehran amid rising tensions between the countries.

Major General Hossein Salami made the comments to the local Fars news agency on Sunday days after the US sent an aircraft carrier and bombers to the Middle East.

The general said a conflict was "not feasible because the US does not have the strength or the boldness to start a war against Iran".

"Preventing this is the strength of our forces and the weakness of the US carriers. The US would not take such a risk," he said.

He added that the administration of Donald Trump was waging a "psychological war in the region" with its recent military deployments.

On Saturday, the US deployed an amphibious assault ship and a Patriot missile battery to bolster its forces already sent to the Gulf.

The carrier and a B-52 bomber task force were ordered towards the Gulf, as Washington reiterated that intelligence reports suggested Iran was planning some sort of attack in the region.

Trump's national security advisor John Bolton has said the deployment aimed to send a "clear and unmistakable" message to Iran about any attack against the US or its partners in the region.

Washington has not elaborated on the alleged threat, drawing criticism that it is overreacting and unnecessarily driving up tensions in the region.

The increasing tensions come as Tehran said on Wednesday it had stopped respecting limits on its nuclear activities agreed under a 2015 deal with major powers.

Iran said it was responding to the sweeping unilateral sanctions that Washington has re-imposed since it quit the agreement one year ago, which have dealt a severe blow to the Iranian economy.

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