A deputy head of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards said short-range Iranian missiles could reach US warships in the Gulf, and the United States could not afford a new war, the semi-official news agency Fars reported on Friday.
The comments added to days of saber-rattling between Tehran and Washington, which has tightened sanctions and built up its military presence in the region alleging threats from Iran to its troops and interests.
Iran has accused the United States of "psychological warfare" and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said this week Tehran would not negotiate another deal after Washington quit a 2015 pact over Iran's nuclear program.
"Even our short-range missiles can easily reach (U.S.) warships in the Persian Gulf," Mohammad Saleh Jokar, the Guard's deputy for parliamentary affairs, was quoted by Fars as saying.
"America cannot afford the costs of a new war, and the country is in a bad situation in terms of manpower and social conditions," he added.