Iran’s army chief, Major General Amir Hatami, has warned the United States and Israel that any military attack on his country would endanger their own security and that of the wider region. He said Iran’s armed forces are on full defensive and military readiness following heavy US deployments in the Gulf.
Hatami cautioned that if “the enemy makes a mistake,” it will threaten the security of the US, the Middle East and what he called the Zionist regime. His comments came after Washington sent a naval strike group led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to the region, amid US threats to intervene following a deadly crackdown on anti government protests in Iran.
Iran has repeatedly warned it would respond to any attack with missile strikes on US bases, ships and allies, including Israel. On Friday, President Donald Trump said he believed Iran would eventually seek a deal on its nuclear and missile programmes rather than face US military action.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran was open to talks on its nuclear programme but insisted the country’s missiles and defence capabilities “will never be negotiated.” Hatami also argued that Iran’s nuclear expertise cannot be erased, even after US and Israeli strikes on its nuclear and military facilities.
The US briefly joined Israel’s 12 day war against Iran last year, hitting key nuclear sites and other military targets and killing senior officers and nuclear scientists. Despite those attacks, Hatami said Iran’s nuclear technology “cannot be eliminated, even if scientists and sons of this nation are martyred.”
US Central Command has announced that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps will hold a two day live fire naval drill in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global oil shipments. CENTCOM warned the IRGC against any unsafe or unprofessional behaviour near US forces.
The United States designated the IRGC a terrorist organisation in 2019, a move the European Union formally adopted this week. Tehran has condemned the EU decision and vowed to respond.
The tensions come after weeks of protests across Iran over rising living costs, which authorities say turned into riots involving killings and vandalism. The government has blamed the US and Israel for fuelling the unrest in what it called a terrorist operation.
Officials in Tehran put the death toll at 3,117 people. However, the US based Human Rights Activists News Agency says it has confirmed 6,563 deaths, including 6,170 protesters and 124 children. The protests have since subsided.
President Masoud Pezeshkian has urged his government to take public grievances seriously and govern with justice and fairness. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei meanwhile visited the shrine of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran as Iran marked the start of events for the 47th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
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