TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s military chief warned Wednesday that Iran will not stand by and allow itself to be threatened by 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,” General 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, US President Donald Trump has threatened to intervene in Iran if demonstrators were killed, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed support for the protests.

Iran’s top judge also warned protesters on Wednesday there would be “no leniency for those who help the enemy against the Islamic Republic,” while accusing Israel and the US of pursuing hybrid methods to disrupt the country.

“Following announcements by Israel and the US president, there is no excuse for those coming to the streets for riots and unrest,” Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the head of Iran’s judiciary, was quoted as saying by state media.

“From now on, there will be no leniency for whoever helps the enemy against the Islamic Republic and the calm of the people,” Ejei said.

Tempering the harsh rhetoric from those officials, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered security forces not to crack down on protests.

In a video released by the news agency Mehr after a cabinet meeting, Vice President Mohammad Jafar Ghaempanah said Pezeshkian had “ordered that no security measures be taken against the demonstrators.”

“Those who carry firearms, knives, and machetes and who attack police stations and military sites are rioters, and we must distinguish protesters from rioters,” Ghaempanah added.

The current protests, the biggest wave of dissent in three years, began last month in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar when shopkeepers condemned the Iranian currency’s free fall. Unrest has since spread nationwide amid deepening distress over economic hardships, including rocketing inflation driven by mismanagement and Western sanctions, and curbs on political and social freedoms.

Protesters have chanted against the Islamic Republic regime and its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in several cities.

Protesters in the port city of Bandar Abbas chanted, “This year is the year of bloodshed, Seyed Ali will be overthrown” during a street protest on Wednesday, according to videos received by Iran........

© The Times of Israel