Tehran: Iranian army chief Major General Amir Hatami on Saturday warned the United States and Israel against any military aggression, saying Iran’s armed forces are on high alert amid increased American military deployments in the Gulf region.
Speaking to state news agency IRNA, Hatami said any attack on Iran would severely threaten the security of the region and Israel. “If the enemy makes a mistake, it will without doubt endanger its own security, the security of the region and that of the Zionist regime,” he said, adding that Iran’s forces were at full defensive readiness.
His remarks came after Washington dispatched a naval strike group led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to the Middle East, raising fears of a direct confrontation. US President Donald Trump has warned of possible military action while expressing hope that Tehran would instead seek negotiations over its nuclear and missile programmes.
Hatami rejected the notion that Iran’s nuclear capabilities could be destroyed, saying the country’s scientific knowledge would endure even if its experts were targeted. “Nuclear technology cannot be eliminated,” he said.
The warning follows recent US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities during a brief conflict involving Israel, in which senior military officers and nuclear scientists were also killed.
Meanwhile, US Central Command said Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps would conduct live-fire naval exercises in the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic passage for global oil shipments, cautioning against unsafe actions near American forces.
Tensions remain high as Iran has vowed retaliation against any attack, while the European Union has designated the IRGC a terrorist organisation — a move strongly condemned by Tehran.
Domestically, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday urged officials to address public grievances following recent nationwide protests over rising living costs, which authorities blamed on foreign interference.