Tehran, Jan. 8 -- Major General Amir Hatami, Chief of the Iranian army, confronted what Tehran views as hostile rhetoric from abroad, particularly remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump that the United States is "locked and loaded" to intervene if Iranian forces violently suppress civilian protesters.

Hatami made his remarks in a speech to military academy students, signaling that Iran sees such statements as a direct threat to its national security, reported Fox News.

Hatami said the "intensification of such rhetoric against the Iranian nation ... will not be left without a response," and emphasised that Iran's armed forces now possess greater readiness than before recent conflicts. "If the enemy commits an error, it will face a more d...