Tehran :  An Iranian official has warned Israel that it would lose at least 10,000 soldiers in the event of a military strike on Iran, Press TV reported.

“If the Israelis attack, Iran’s deterrent power would deal a mortal blow to them and the Israeli death toll would not be less than 10,000. Therefore, they would be stopped soon,” Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Expediency Council, was quoted as saying.

“We don’t want war, but are fully prepared to defend our country against any strike. Of course the Zionists don’t dare to invade Iran and only speak of war to win concessions from the next US president,” said Rezaei, a former chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).

The US and Israel have not ruled out the possibility of a strike on Iran’s nuclear energy facilities.

America and its Western allies believe Iran is working towards a nuclear weapon, but Tehran denies the allegations, saying its atomic programme is for “peaceful” purposes.