According to Iranian state television, Iran's Army Commander, Major General Amir Hatami, warned on Thursday that Iran would target all U.S. allies in the Middle East if Washington proceeds with a ground military operation against Iran.

State television quoted Hatami as saying that "no one should survive" if the enemy attempts a ground operation, adding that Iranian forces are closely monitoring what he described as the enemy's movements and actions, and have prepared plans to counter offensive tactics, The Caspian Post reports, citing foreign media.

Hatami's remarks came as US military assets continued massing across the region. According to US media reports and US Central Command (CENTCOM), American forces have repositioned naval groups, combat aircraft, and ground troops across multiple theaters. By late March, the buildup included amphibious groups in the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Gulf of Oman, F-22 Raptor jets deployed to Israel in their first offensive deployment of this kind to the region in years, and elements of the 82nd Airborne Division joining Marines already stationed in the Arabian Sea, bringing total US troop presence in the broader region to an estimated 40,000 personnel or more.

Hatami further stated that "the specter of war must be removed from us," arguing that it is unreasonable for other places to remain safe while the Iranian people are under threat -framing the targeting of US regional partners as a matter of strategic equity rather than escalation.

Hatami serves as commander of Iran's conventional armed forces, a position distinct from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the elite parallel military structure that operates independently and holds significant influence over Iran's regional proxy network. Israel claimed responsibility for assassinating Hatami last February, a claim the Iranian Army subsequently denied, making Thursday's remarks his most prominent public statement since that denial.