Foreign media report Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says he’s not taking Israel threats seriously but his nation is fully prepared to defend itself.

The Iranian president made the remarks on Monday in New York where he is attending the 67th United Nations General Assembly. He stressed that Iran has all necessary defensive means.

In July this year, the commander of the aerospace division of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, warned that his country could launch a preemptive attack and would retaliate on U.S. bases in Bahrain, Qatar and Afghanistan if attacked.