ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iran on Monday urged countries to take a stance against “US threats,” warning that Tehran is capable “more than ever” of delivering a “comprehensive and regret-inducing” response to any attack.

“Any country that respects peace and international law must take a clear stance against US threats to other countries,” said Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei during the weekly presser.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran both trusts its capabilities and keeps past experiences in mind, especially the experience of the heroic battle of Khordad [the June war], and is certainly more capable than ever to give a comprehensive and regret-inducing response to any aggression,” he added.

Baghaei’s remarks come amid repeated threats from US President Donald Trump of a potential military intervention in Iran if Tehran continues killing protesters.

Iran has been engulfed in nationwide demonstrations since late December, in what initially began as protests against the rising cost of living in the country, but has increasingly turned into a movement demanding the overthrow of the regime.

Iranian authorities have responded with excessive force, with a significant number of protesters killed, injured, and arrested. No reliable data is available on the number of casualties, but rights monitors estimate it to be in the thousands.

Iran has labeled the protesters as “rioters” and agents of the US and Israel, and has described the demonstrations as a continuation of June’s 12-day war with Israel, during which the latter killed several of Iran’s top military leaders and nuclear scientists and struck the country’s key nuclear facilities.

“Interference in the internal affairs of regional countries, including Iraq, is a blatant violation of all the criteria on which the international community is based, and no dignified country that values its national sovereignty accepts these interventions,” Baghaei added.

The spokesperson’s remarks could be in reference to a Sunday phone call between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, during which the US top diplomat warned the Iraqi premier that “a government controlled by Iran cannot successfully put Iraq’s own interests first.”

On Thursday, Trump said that Washington has a “massive fleet” headed toward Iran, “just in case,” noting: “There’s a lot of killing going on.”

“The entry of a certain warship is not going to affect Iran's determination and seriousness in fiercely defending the country's integrity. We have both the will and the full capability to defend Iran backed by our people and the experiences we have gained over these decades,” Baghaei asserted.