As the Islamic Republic is celebrating the 44th anniversary of its establishment, top military commanders Friday issued threats warning of consequences of “enmity with Iran.”

The Revolutionary Guard’s Deputy Commander for Operations Abbas Nilforoushan said that the US has paid a heavy toll for its enmity with the Islamic Republic, warning the European countries for their positions against the regime. 

Repeating the Islamic regime’s propaganda line that blames foreign countries for the ongoing protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini in mid-September, Nilforoushan said the enemies did their best to instigate “riots” across the country. “They activated their operational bases in the region and the US, and orders for riots were constantly issued from these bases," he said. 

Islamic Republic officials use the term “enemies” to refer to the United States and its allies.

He also defended the regime’s intensified military crackdown in Kurdish-majority areas and bases of Iranian Kurds in Iraq, saying that the IRGC “smashed the center of sedition in the Kurdistan region with point-blank missiles.”

Defense Minister Mohammad-Reza Gharaei Ashtiani said the Islamic Republic has the capability to identify the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of the enemy and plan how to hit them. He also claimed that the country was dependent on the West before the 1979 revolution, saying “The Shah's government was a dictatorial regime completely dependent on the West.”

Also on Friday, IRGC Ground Forces Commander Mohammad Pakpour said despite various conspiracies by the enemies, the Islamic Republic is at the peak of its power and the people of Iran will deal a decisive blow to the enemies on the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. By “dealing a blow,” he was probably referring to a large turnout in the state-sponsored celebrations and street rallies on February 11.