Amid Trump threats, senior Iran general says his forces 'ready to confront' U.S.

A senior Iranian general said Thursday that his forces are "ready to confront" the United States if President Donald Trump follows through on his warning that Iran will "suffer consequences" from threatening the U.S.

Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who heads the elite Quds Force of Iran’s hard-line paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, called Trump a "gambler" and said: "You will start the war but we will end it." His comments were carried by the state-affiliated yjc.ir website and the semi-official Tasnim news agency following a speech in Iran's central city of Hamedan.

Trump ratcheted up tensions with Iran late Sunday night with a stark tweet written in all capital letters. "NEVER EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKE OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE," Trump wrote.

Trump was responding to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who had said earlier that day that "American(s) must understand well that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace and war with Iran is the mother of all wars."

Rouhani had cautioned Trump to stop "playing with the lion’s tail or else you will regret it." His comments came as Washington prepares to reimpose economic sanctions on Iran on August 6 after its withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear accord.

Thursday's reaction from Soleimani comes after Rouhani said Wednesday that there was no need for him to "respond to any nonsensical" remarks from Trump.

Soleimani said it was his duty as a soldier to reply to Trump's rhetoric. "We are near you, where you can't even imagine. We are ready," Soleimani said in his speech.

Since taking office, Trump has developed a reputation for firing off heated tweets that seem to escalate disputes with world leaders at odds with the U.S. However, following Sunday’s warning, Trump suggested talks were an option.

"We’re ready to make a real deal," he said.

In the wake of Trump's comments on Iran, foreign policy analysts said they were not sure if the president was deliberately seeking a confrontation with Iran or just trying to change the subject politically following fallout from last week's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump was widely criticized at home and abroad for failing to stand up to Russia's leader over allegation of his country's meddling in the U.S. election.

USA TODAY's Kim Hjelmgaard recently returned from a trip to Iran. A special report on the country will be published in August. Follow him on Twitter.