Iranians ‘ready to disgrace’ US troops if they invade, top official says

Amid an ongoing war with Iran, US President Donald Trump says he wants to be ‘involved in the appointment’ of the country’s next supreme leader.Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani was a close aide to assassinated Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei [File: Aziz Taher/Reuters]Published On 5 Mar 2026Top Iranian official Ali Larijani has stressed that his country is prepared to confront a possible invasion from the United States, pledging to capture and kill US troops if they enter the country.Thursday’s statement comes as US officials, including President Donald Trump, refuse to rule out deploying forces inside Iran.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3While US encourages Kurds to attack Iran, history serves darker warninglist 2 of 3Iran women’s football team salute, sing national anthem in Asian Cup matchlist 3 of 3EU leaders express solidarity with Gulf countries amid Iranian attacksend of listLarijani, who serves as the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, warned that such actions would have dire consequences.“Some American officials have stated that they intend to enter Iranian territory on the ground with several thousand troops,” Larijani said in a statement.He then added a pointed reference to Iran’s former supreme leaders, Ruhollah Khomeini and Ali Khamenei, the latter of whom was killed on Saturday in a joint US-Israeli strike.“The valiant sons of Imam Khomeini and Imam Khamenei are waiting for you, ready to disgrace those corrupt American officials by killing and capturing thousands,” he said.Larijani, who was a close adviser to the assassinated supreme leader, is believed to be one of the most powerful figures in Iran.Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi echoed Larijani’s remark on Thursday, saying that Iran is not afraid of a possible US invasion.“No, we are waiting for them,” Araghchi told NBC News, adding that a ground offensive would be a “big disaster” for US troops.Israel and the US have dropped thousands of bombs on Iran since the latest conflict began on Saturday, and Tehran has responded with missile and drone attacks across the Middle East.Trump has said that the war is proceeding better than expected, with the US and Israel in control of Iran’s skies and striking the country with no reprieve.But Tehran has projected defiance, vowing to continue fighting to avenge Khamenei and repel the US and Israeli attacks.“We will not negotiate with the United States,” Larijani said earlier this week.Venezuela as a model for Iran?In the aftermath of Khamenei’s death, there have been few signs that Iran’s new leadership is willing to work with Washington.But Trump has nevertheless expressed a desire to see Iran’s government follow the model set by his January 3 attack on Venezuela, which involved replacing the head of state with a figure who is friendly to the US.In Venezuela, US forces abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and transported him to the US for trial. Within days, Maduro was succeeded by his vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, with the backing of the US.Rodriguez has since been cooperating with the US, including by allowing the Trump administration to sell millions of barrels of Venezuela’s oil. The rest of Venezuela’s government, meanwhile, has remained largely intact.“What we did in Venezuela, I think, is the perfect, the perfect scenario,” Trump told The New York Times on Sunday.On Wednesday, Trump added that he would like to be “involved in the appointment” of Khamenei’s successor, like he had been “with Delcy in Venezuela”.Trump also voiced opposition to Mojtaba Khamenei, the slain supreme leader’s son, who is believed to be one of the frontrunners to succeed his father as head of state.“Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran,” the US president told Axios.The next supreme leaders will be chosen by a body of religious scholars known as the Council of Experts.Later on Wednesday, Araghchi warned Trump that the plan for a quick military victory against Iran has failed.“Your Plan B will be even bigger failure,” Araghchi wrote on X.He then questioned whether Trump’s “America First” platform was prioritising US priorities — or Israel’s. The foreign minister also blamed the Trump administration for scuttling recent negotiations to deescalate tensions between the US and Iran.“The truth: Chance for unique deal burned after the ‘America Last’ cabal obscured ‘significant progress’ we made in negotiations. ‘Israel First’ always means ‘America Last’,” Araghchi wrote.The US and Iranian officials held talks in Geneva days before the Trump administration and Israel launched the war.