Iran's military chief warned Wednesday that the country would not tolerate threats from outside powers after the United States and Israel backed anti-government protests.
"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," Gen. Amir Hatami said, according to the Fars news agency.
Hatami, commander of the Iranian army but not Iran's most senior officer, warned that "if the enemy makes a mistake," Iran's response would be more robust than during last June's 12-day war with Israel.
In recent days, U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to intervene in Iran if demonstrators were killed, while Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed support for the protests.
On Dec. 28, merchants in Tehran staged a protest against soaring prices and the collapse of the rial, triggering a wave of similar actions in several cities, some of them deadly.
