Iran army chief threatens preemptive attack over 'rhetoric' targeting
country after Trump's comments
[January 07, 2026]
By JON GAMBRELL
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran's army chief threatened
preemptive military action Wednesday over the “rhetoric” targeting the
Islamic Republic, likely referring to U.S. President Donald Trump's
warning that if Tehran “violently kills peaceful protesters,” America
“will come to their rescue."
The comments by Maj. Gen. Amir Hatami come as Iran tries to respond to
what it sees as a dual threat posed by Israel and the United States, as
well as the protests sparked by its economic woes that have grown into a
direct challenge to its theocracy.
Seeking to halt the anger, Iran's government began Wednesday paying the
equivalent of $7 a month to subsidize rising costs for dinner-table
essentials like rice, meat and pastas. Shopkeepers warn prices for items
as basic as cooking oil likely will triple under pressure from the
collapse of Iran's rial currency and the end of a preferential
subsidized dollar-rial exchange rate for importers and manufacturers —
likely fueling further popular anger.
“More than a week of protests in Iran reflects not only worsening
economic conditions, but longstanding anger at government repression and
regime policies that have led to Iran’s global isolation,” the New
York-based Soufan Center think tank said.
Army chief's threat
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.”
Iranian officials including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have
been responding to Trump's comments, which took on more significance
after the U.S. military raid that seized Venezuelan President Nicolás
Maduro, a longtime ally of Tehran, over the weekend. But there's been no
immediate public sign of Iran preparing for an attack in the region.
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In this photograph released on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, by the
official website of the Iranian Army, Iran's army chief Maj. Gen.
Amir Hatami speaks to military academy students, in Tehran, Iran. (Masoud
Nazari Mehrabi/Iranian Army via AP)
New subsidy payment begins
Iranian state television reported on the start of a new subsidy of
the equivalent of $7, put into the bank accounts of heads of
households across the country. More than 71 million people will
receive the benefit, which is 10 million Iranian rials, it reported.
The rial now trades at over 1.4 million to $1 and continues to
depreciate.
The subsidy is more than double than the 4.5 million rial people
previously received. But already, Iranian media report sharp rises
in the cost of basic goods, including cooking oil, poultry and
cheese, placing additional strain on households already burdened by
international sanctions targeting the country and inflation.
Iran's vice president in charge of executive affairs, Mohammad Jafar
Ghaempanah, told reporters Wednesday that the country was in a
“full-fledged economic war.” He called for “economic surgery” to
eliminate rentier policies and corruption within the country.
Protests began Dec. 28
Iran has faced rounds of nationwide protests in recent years. As
sanctions tightened and Iran struggled after the June war with
Israel, its rial currency sharply fell in December. Protests began
soon after on Dec. 28. They reached their 11th day on Wednesday and
did not appear to be stopping.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency offered the latest
death toll of 36 for the demonstrations. It said 30 protesters, four
children and two members of Iran’s security forces have been killed.
Demonstrations have reached over 280 locations in 27 of Iran’s 31
provinces.
The group, which relies on an activist network inside of Iran for
its reporting, has been accurate in past unrest.
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