Iran's Revolutionary Guards
Iran's Revolutionary GuardsReuters

The deputy commander of Iran’s notorious Quds Force threatened the United States ahead of President Trump's major address on Friday where he is expected to announce his decision to alter the 2015 Iranian nuclear agreement.

"We are not a country that likes war, but any military threatening us will regret it," deputy commander of the Qods Force Ismail Ghaani told the Tanzim news agency.

Ghaani added that Trump's rhetoric against Iran would damage the United States. "Trump is hurting America- we've buried many like him and we know how to fight the United States" Ghaani said.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards echoed Ghaani's sentiments, warning earlier in a statement that they are “the most effective corps in the region.”

Trump is expected to formally decertify Iran's compliance with the 2015 nuclear agreement in a speech Friday, where he will also announce his approach towards the Islamic Republic. Trump is also expected to give Congress 60 days to decide whether to scrap the agreement entirely.

Trump is also expected to announce his new strategy for countering Iranian threats - including Iran's ICBM program and its support for terrorism. The president will explain how the nuclear agreement does not serve the long-term interests of the US.

Trump's belligerence towards Iran has alarmed Russia, who urged the United States not to leave the nuclear deal. "Scrapping the deal would have very negative consequences and would seriously aggravate the situation around the Iranian nuclear issue" said Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Trump had made scrapping the deal a major campaign promise. In 2016, Trump described the nuclear deal with Iran as “the worst deal I’ve ever seen negotiated” and accused the Islamic Republic of “disrespecting” the United States because of the deal.

“We gave them $1.7 billion in cash, which is unheard of, and we put the money up and we have really nothing to show for it,” he added.