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Iran army chief vows to ‘cut off hands’ of invader after Trump threatens to intervene over protests
US President Donald Trump said that Washington is “locked and loaded and ready to go” to help protesters if Iranian authorities crack down on the unrest.
Iran’s military chief, General Amir Hatami, on Wednesday warned that Tehran will not stand by and allow itself to be threatened by outside powers as he swore to “cut off the hand” of any foreign invader. His threat comes after the United States and Israel backed the anti-government protests that have shaken Iran for days and even led Trump to warn of intervention if demonstrators were killed.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the escalation of hostile rhetoric against the Iranian nation a threat and will not tolerate its continuation without responding,” he was quoted as saying by the Fars news agency.
The military chief promised a stronger retaliation for any “hostile” mistake and swore to “cut off the hand” of any invader, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.
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Trump threatens US intervention
The US president said that Washington is “locked and loaded and ready to go” to help protesters if Iranian authorities crack down on the unrest.
“If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,” Trump said in a Truth Social post at about 3 a.m. Washington time on Friday. “We are locked and loaded and ready to go.”
Responding to Trump’s threats, Ali Larijani, a senior politician who heads Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, wrote on X that the United States “should be mindful of their soldiers’ safety.”
On Monday, Trump warned of possible strikes against Iran after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, citing concerns that Tehran is rebuilding its nuclear programme and expanding its ballistic missile capabilities following joint US-Israeli strikes in June.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu has expressed support for the mass protests in the region. “The government of Israel, the State of Israel, and my own policies, we identify with the struggle of the Iranian people, with their aspirations for freedom, liberty and justice,” he said. “It is quite possible that we are at a moment when the Iranian people are taking their fate into their own hands.”
Iran protests
Protests over a currency slump and rising prices spread from Tehran to cities across the country. The rial fell to a record low on Sunday, worsening an economic crisis caused by tough international sanctions.
In Fasa, a south-central Iranian city with a population of about 150,000, state-affiliated Nour News reported that protesters entered the governor’s office, set fires and hurled stones.
The unrest continued even after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian sought to calm protesters on Tuesday, promising to review planned tax increases and saying demands for change were legitimate.
With inputs from agencies
