LONDON, United Kingdom -  The spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, Ismail Baghaei, said at a press conference in Tehran on Monday that the country's armed forces are fully prepared to respond to any possible military action by the United States.

According to the state-run IRNA news agency, Baghaei emphasized that Iran's military is maintaining its might with characteristic "bravery and resolve" to defend the country.

The spokesman was responding to questions on the recent US military reinforcement in the Indian Ocean's Diego Garcia island as well as the Persian Gulf, which has raised the specter of a direct military confrontation between the two archfoes.

Baghaei flatly dismissed a Reuters report published on Sunday that cited an unnamed Iranian official as saying Tehran had issued a stern warning to neighbors over their intention to facilitate US strikes on Iran.

He voiced confidence that Iran's neighboring countries would refuse to allow their airspace or territory to be used in any such attack.

"We believe the security of our neighbors is inseparable from ours," he said. "Iran has never been part of any alliance to attack its neighbors. We have consistently stressed the principle of good neighborliness, and we trust that our neighbors will remain vigilant against divisive plots aimed at damaging their ties with Iran."

Oman, a potential mediator

On the prospect of indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States, the spokesperson declared that Oman remains the most likely candidate to mediate, thanks to its previous role in facilitating similar dialogue.

Earlier on the same day, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also highlighted Iran's insistence on indirect negotiations but declared that any such talks have yet to start. "The ball is now in America's court," he said, adding that Tehran is waiting for the US administration to respond to the proposal. "But we are in no rush," he asserted.

'Nuclear doctrine unaltered'

The Foreign Ministry spokesman reiterated that "there is no credible evidence suggesting Iran's nuclear program is aimed at non-peaceful purposes," claiming that even UN nuclear watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed the assertion.

The IAEA has previously warned that Tehran is inching closer to building nuclear weapons, citing its fast-growing stockpile of 60%-enriched uranium in breach of the 2015 nuclear deal.

An apparent shift in the nuclear rhetoric from certain Iranian officials and commanders has recently drawn attention and concern, amid their warnings that potential US attacks on Iran could trigger a reconsideration in the latter's nuclear doctrine, leading Tehran toward developing atomic bombs for deterrence.

Baghaei, however, insisted that Iran has never sought nuclear weapons. "This is a position grounded upon a [2003] fatwa [religious decree] by the Supreme Leader [Ayatollah Ali Khamenei] and remains central to our nuclear policy," he argued.