• Iranian army chief insists nuclear know-how ‘cannot be eliminated’ by strikes
• Trump claims Tehran seeks deal to avoid military intervention; confirms undisclosed deadline for talks

WASHINGTON: Iranian army chief Amir Hatami warned the United States and Israel on Saturday against an attack, declaring his country’s forces were on high alert following Washington’s heavy military deployments to the Persian Gulf.

Hatami insisted that the Islamic Republic’s nuclear expertise remained resilient despite threats of American strikes, contradicting predictions by US President Donald Trump that Tehran would seek a deal to avoid conflict.

“If the enemy makes a mistake, without a doubt it will endanger its own security, the security of the region, and the security of the Zionist regime,” Hatami said, according to the official IRNA news agency.

He noted that Iran’s armed forces were “at full defensive and military readiness”.

The warning follows Washington’s deployment of a naval strike group, led by the USS Abraham Lincoln, to the Middle East. Tensions escalated after a deadly two-week crackdown by Iranian authorities on anti-government protests, which prompted Trump to threaten military intervention.

Despite previous US strikes on nuclear sites and the assassination of scientists, Hatami insisted Iran’s nuclear technology “cannot be eliminated, even if scientists and sons of this nation are martyred”.

Trump predicted on Friday that Tehran would negotiate on its nuclear and missile programmes rather than face an attack.

“I can say this, they do want to make a deal,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

When asked if he had issued a timeline for Tehran to enter talks, Trump said, “Yeah, I have,” though he declined to elaborate.

“We have a large armada, flotilla, call it whatever you want, heading toward Iran right now,” Trump said. “Hopefully we’ll make a deal. If we do make a deal, that’s good. If we don’t make a deal, we’ll see what happens.”

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also addressed the nation on Saturday, accusing Western powers of fuelling the domestic unrest. He claimed US, Israeli and European leaders exploited economic problems to incite “riots” aimed at fragmentation.

The leaders of these nations “provoke, create division, and supplied resources, drawing some innocent people into this movement,” Pezeshkian said in a live state TV broadcast.

He accused the US and its allies of providing the means to “tear the nation apart” and to “sow conflict and hatred among the people”.

Published in Dawn, February 1st, 2026