LONDON, United Kingdom - Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei underlined the necessity of a continuous boosting of Iran's military power and preparedness, as he met with the country's highest-ranking commanders on Sunday. 

Khamenei told the generals that Iran's armed forces were in need of bolstering "both hard and soft readiness" to fulfill their national responsibilities, according to a report published by his official website. 

The octogenarian leader emphasized the importance of the military as a "stronghold" serving as "the sanctuary" against Iran's external threats.

Khamenei hailed the Islamic Republic's progress in multiple fields, saying it has triggered "ire and frustration" among adversaries. 

"The incredible progress," he added, "has been admired even by our enemies…and the country's determination to remain Muslim and fully independent," is what has unnerved the enemies, he argued, without directly naming the top foes—Israel and the United States. 

Yet the supreme leader also acknowledged economic challenges, asserting that efforts should be made to address those weaknesses.

No mention of Oman talks

Elsewhere in his speech, Khamenei condemned "double standards" of global powers, when it comes to the right to possess military power. "They hold destructive weapons while preventing others from advancing their defensive capabilities," he said. 

Iran's Western adversaries, Israel and some regional Persian Gulf states have viewed the Islamic Republic's nuclear program and its missile capabilities as major threats to regional and global peace, a concern that Tehran dismisses. 

The Iranian leader made no reference to the Muscat meeting held on Saturday that brought Iranian and American negotiators together for a preliminary session to address US worries surrounding Tehran's nuclear program.

His speech came, however, against the backdrop of recent significant military reinforcements by the Pentagon across its bases in the Middle East, the Persian Gulf as well as the Indian Ocean, in apparent preparation for strikes on Iran—if the latter refuses to come to terms with the United States over its nuclear program.