Iranian army leader says police support

teheran - The Iranian armed forces are prepared to take action against anti-government demonstrators. Army leader Abdolrahim Mousavi said, according to state media, that his troops can intervene if necessary. He described protesters as people who were 'misled by the Great Satan,' a reference to the United States.

The top soldier also expressed the expectation that the army does not have to intervene. According to Mousavi, the protests were so small-scale 'that a part of the police force was able to suppress them'.

Nevertheless, the authorities take the demonstrations seriously. The influential Revolutionary Guard said on Wednesday that it sent troops to three provinces to curb the protests.

Spiritual leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei previously claimed that 'foreign enemies' have their hand in the days of unrest. 'They accuse 'the enemies' of everything,' complained a 43-year-old demonstrator from Isfahan in a telephone conversation with Reuters. 'I am not an enemy. I am an Iranian and I love my country. '