Iran’s army chief threatened military action against the United States after President Donald Trump warned the regime against using lethal force against protesters amid widespread demonstrations.
Tens of thousands of Iranians took to the streets about a week ago, expressing their anger over inflation and the devaluation of their currency. But the movement quickly morphed into calls for the end of the Islamic regime.
Iran’s government imposed a vicious crackdown, killing almost 40 people and arresting over 2,000 more. Maj. Gen. Amir Hatami, while giving a speech in front of military academy students, intimated that Iran might take preemptive strikes against the U.S, according to ABC News.
Hatami spoke to military academy students. He took over as commander-in-chief of the Iran's army, known by the Farsi word "Artesh," after Israel killed a slew of the country's top military commanders in June's 12-day war. He is the first regular military officer in decades to hold a position long controlled by Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
“The Islamic Republic considers the intensification of such rhetoric against the Iranian nation as a threat and will not leave its continuation without a response," Hatami said, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.
He added, “I can say with confidence that today the readiness of Iran’s armed forces is far greater than before the war. If the enemy commits an error, it will face a more decisive response, and we will cut off the hand of any aggressor.”
In a post on Truth Social on Friday, President Trump wrote, “If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go.”
While speaking with reporters on Air Force One, Trump indicated Iran’s leadership could be “hit very hard” if they continue killing protesters. “We’re watching it very closely,” he said. “If they start killing people like they have in the pasat, I think they’re going to get hit very hard by the United States.”
Iran’s government is attempting to quell anger over the economy by paying the equivalent of $7 per month to Iranian households to subsidize rising costs for food. To give some perspective, the Iranian rial trades at over 1.4 million to one U.S. dollar, and is continuing to depreciate, ABC News reported.
Bullets. Tear gas. Brutal repression, Day 11.
— Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) January 7, 2026
People are still in the streets across Iran.
The protests are growing.
Their resistance sends a clear message to the world:
Iranians reject this child-killing terrorist regime. They don’t want those killers.
Bojnourd, January 7,… pic.twitter.com/AFz9H0Sk8o
The protests, which began on December 28, 2025, have spanned over 250 locatiosn across 27 of the nation’s provinces. The regime appears to be using a carrot-and-stick approach to curbing the demonstrations, offering the subsidy while also using lethal force against protesters.
Despite the saber-rattling, Iran’s regime could be exercising some restraint in response to Trump’s threat. Researchers at BMI told CNBC that the government could be more judicious in its use of violence to suppress the protests. “We see heightened risks of U.S. action against Iran in early 2026 if protests escalate,” they said.
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