The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran has issued a stark warning to American military forces, asserting they have identified a hotel in Qatar housing senior U.S. commanders.

This development comes as U.S. troops have been withdrawn from various military bases throughout the Middle East due to concerns that Iran might retaliate if then-President Donald Trump initiated an attack.

An IRGC-associated Telegram channel, which is linked to a group many Western nations label as a terrorist organization, issued a menacing message to U.S. commanders, urging them to “watch your heads.”

The channel, Operations Center Media, criticized the relocation of top U.S. military officials as “clumsy” and warned that such moves would not protect them from a “decisive and forceful response” by Iran’s armed forces should any aggression occur against Iranian territory.

Subsequently, the threat level for U.S. forces in the region was reduced after President Trump de-escalated tensions. This followed Iran’s declaration that protester Erfan Soltani had not been sentenced to death, a situation that could have provoked military action from the U.S.

President Trump had previously cautioned that the execution of anti-government protesters could lead to a military response.

However, the situation remains unstable, with the United States thought to be weighing the deployment of additional military assets to the Middle East, including a possible aircraft carrier strike group, ABC News reported on Friday.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has threatened US forces, claiming it has pinpointed a hotel in Qatar used by top American commanders. A Telegram channel affiliated with the IRGC, which many Western nations consider a terrorist organisation, warned commanders to ‘watch your heads’ in a chilling threat

Pictured: Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei waves during a meeting in Tehran today

Khamenei was filmed leading a a crowd chanting ‘death to America’ as he spoke during a meeting in Tehran today

Pro-government demonstrators rally at Enghelab (Revolution) Square in central Tehran in support of the Islamic Republic

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said that Iran considers Trump a ‘criminal’ for the ‘casualties, damages and slander he inflicted upon the Iranian nation’ during recent unrest.

He was also filmed leading a a crowd chanting ‘death to America’ during a meeting in Tehran on Friday.

Posting on X earlier today, Khamenei said: ‘We find the US President guilty due to the casualties, damages and slander he inflicted upon the Iranian nation.’

Anti-government protests have swept across Iran in recent weeks, with video footage showing buildings ablaze and violent clashes with security forces. Rights groups estimate at least 3,000 people were killed during the unrest. 

While much of the disorder has since been suppressed, authorities have sought to reassert control through nationwide pro-government rallies.

On Friday, Iran’s exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi urged Trump to carry out a ‘surgical strike’ against Iran’s security forces, calling for international action to weaken the regime’s command structure.

Speaking to reporters in Washington, Pahlavi said US action should focus on the Revolutionary Guards, whom he described as the main source of repression.

Protesters hold up portraits of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (top and left) during a demonstration near the Iranian embassy in Baghdad in support of the Iranian regime and its supreme leader

Pro-government demonstrators rally at Enghelab (Revolution) Square in central Tehran in support of the Islamic Republic

A vehicle is set on fire during protests in Tehran, Iran

Trump has previously expressed scepticism over Pahlavi’s ability to command support inside Iran, even as the exiled royal has stepped up lobbying efforts in Washington.

Pahlavi confirmed he had met White House envoy Steve Witkoff last weekend but declined to give details, calling it a ‘sensitive time’.

‘I believe that President Trump is a man of his word and, ultimately, he will stand with the Iranian people,’ he said, adding that it was ‘never too late’ for the US to help.

‘We will fight until we win.’

Ahead of his remarks, videos played at the press conference showed people injured, apparently by Iranian security forces and other scenes from the protests, including demonstrators chanting ‘Long Live the Shah.’

That chant has been heard at the protests, alongside other chants calling for the fall of the Islamic Republic that do not mention the Shah.

‘The Iranian people are taking decisive action on the ground. It is now time for the international community to join them fully,’ Pahlavi said.

Pahlavi said countries should target the leadership and command and control structure of Iran’s elite military force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, block the assets of the clerical rulers and expel the government’s diplomats from world capitals.

While much of the unrest has since been suppressed, authorities have sought to reassert control through nationwide pro-government rallies

Posting on X earlier today, Khamenei said: ‘We find the US President guilty due to the casualties, damages and slander he inflicted upon the Iranian nation’

He also called on the world to help break through the government’s communications blockade by deploying Starlink satellite internet systems.

Pahlavi said a secure communication channel had been set up for people who want to defect from the government or its security forces, saying that tens of thousands of people have made contact, but he did not address how he planned to exert control over the vast network of Iran’s security establishment apparatus, including the Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Helping the protesters to succeed ‘does not require putting (foreign) boots on the ground,’ Pahlavi said.

‘The Iranian people’s boots are already on the ground. They are the ones marching, sacrificing and fighting for their freedom every single day.’

A democratic Iran under his leadership would have ‘cordial relations’ with its neighbours, he said, including Israel – a close ally of Iran in his father’s day and an implacable foe of the Islamic Republic now.

Pahlavi in 2023 visited Israel and met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials.

More than 3,400 people have been killed by Iranian security forces since the outbreak of protests at the end of December, according to the human rights organisation Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO).

The unrest, initially sparked by economic hardship and the collapse of the currency, has evolved into broader calls for the fall of the clerical establishment, posing the most serious internal challenge to Iran’s rulers in years.

Britain, France, Germany and Italy have summoned Iranian ambassadors in protest over the crackdown.