Iran’s top brass warned candidates running in the current parliamentary elections to distance themselves from the United States and Britain, Tehran’s semi-official Fars News Agency reported on Tuesday.

Major General Hassan Firouzabadi, the chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, said the candidates who maintained their American and British ties would be marginalized.

Firouzabadi also accused US and UK media outlets of meddling in Iran’s elections — to be held on February 26 — by favoring certain candidates over others. He said such actions were “like an invasion,” and called on the Foreign Ministry to deal with them accordingly.