Daijiworld Media Network - Tehran
Tehran, Jan 21: Iran’s military on Wednesday issued a sharp warning to the United States, threatening severe retaliation if any action is taken against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, amid escalating tensions between the two nations.
Iranian Armed Forces spokesperson Gen Abolfazl Shekarchi said that any act of aggression against the country’s top leader would invite devastating consequences. “Trump knows that if any hand of aggression is extended toward our leader, we will not only cut that hand but also set fire to their world,” he warned.
The strong rhetoric follows recent remarks by US President Donald Trump, who in a weekend interview described Ayatollah Khamenei as a “sick man” and openly called for regime change in Iran. Trump urged Iranian leadership to “stop killing people” and said it was time for new leadership in the country.
Relations between Washington and Tehran have sharply deteriorated since nationwide protests erupted in Iran on December 28, triggered by worsening economic conditions. Iranian authorities responded with a forceful crackdown on demonstrators, drawing international condemnation.
Trump has stated that the United States has drawn two red lines for Iran — the killing of peaceful protesters and the possibility of mass executions in the wake of the unrest.
Due to a government-imposed internet shutdown, the full scale of the violence remains unclear. However, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported on Tuesday that at least 4,519 people have been killed since the protests began.
On Saturday, Ayatollah Khamenei acknowledged the extent of the bloodshed, stating that “several thousand” people had died, while blaming foreign interference, particularly from the US, for fueling the unrest. This marked the first official acknowledgment by Iran’s leadership of the scale of casualties.
Meanwhile, Iran’s national police chief Gen Ahmad Reza Radan announced a three-day deadline for what he termed “deceived” youth involved in the protests to surrender, assuring leniency for those who turn themselves in for their role in the unrest.
The situation continues to remain tense, with fears of further escalation between the two longtime adversaries.