Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi downplayed the West's attempts to isolate Iran through sanctions and pressure, stressing that it will never be able to inflict any harm to the Iranian nation, semi-official Fars news agency reported on Thursday.

Enemies of Iran were to harm the nation by imposing sanctions, threats of military operations and psychological warfare, Vahidi said, adding that all those attempts were "uselessly" to isolate the Islamic republic.

Enemies would never be able to cause any harm to the Iranian nation, Vahidi was quoted as saying.

He also said that Iran has enhanced its defensive military capabilities to an extent that can "obliterate the Israeli regime, " Press TV reported.

"The defense capability of Iran against threats by the Zionist regime (of Israel) has been developed to an extent that will wipe the (Israeli) regime off the scene," the report quoted Vahidi as saying.

Israel, threatened to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities these days, has always been highly concerned over Iran's nuclear program, which is believed by the West to head for acquiring nuclear weapons under the cover of civilian purposes.

Iran has insisted that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes, and warned that it will retaliate if it comes under attack.