The commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a stern warning to the United States on Saturday, declaring the paramilitary unit is fully prepared and alert as American naval forces move closer to the Middle East. This declaration follows a period of mounting tension driven by President Donald Trump’s firm stance amid widespread demonstrations against the Iranian regime and aggressive suppression efforts involving the IRGC.
General Mohammad Pakpour, leading the IRGC, proclaimed that the force, alongside the nation of Iran, is primed for action, with “fingers on the trigger,” ready to follow any command from their supreme leadership. This statement was reported by The Associated Press, which cited Nournews, a media outlet closely aligned with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
Further caution was extended to both the U.S. and Israel, urging them to “avoid any miscalculation,” as reported by the AP. This comes after a prior warning from an Iranian diplomat, blaming the two nations for instigating “political destabilization, internal unrest and chaos” within Iran.
President Trump, alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has shown solidarity with the Iranian demonstrators. Netanyahu assured that Israel is “closely monitoring” developments and pledged support, stating that once Iran is freed from “the yoke of tyranny,” Israel stands ready to be a partner in peace.
Iran has explicitly cautioned the U.S. against any actions amid continuing protests within the country. (Images: Iranian Leader Press Office/Anadolu via Getty Images; Allison Robbert/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Earlier in the week, Iran advised President Trump against targeting its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with any actions.
“Trump knows that if any hand of aggression is extended toward our leader, we not only cut that hand, but also we will set fire to their world,” Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesman for Iran’s armed forces, said, according to the AP.
On Thursday, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he was moving warships toward Iran “just in case” he wants to take action.
“We have a massive fleet heading in that direction and maybe we won’t have to use it,” Trump said, the AP reported.
A U.S. Navy official told the AP that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and other warships traveling with it were in the Indian Ocean.
The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier and a U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress, conduct joint exercises in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in Arabian Sea June 1, 2019. (Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Brian M. Wilbur/U.S. Navy via AP, File)
Anti-regime protests started on Dec. 28 as Iranians took to the streets to voice their displeasure with the economic woes facing the country, which has become more isolated internationally. Since then, despite an internet blackout, reports of violence against protesters have emerged.
When the protests began, Trump warned the regime that the U.S. was “locked and loaded” and ready to act if it used violence against protesters.
Trump previously put out a Truth Social post on Jan. 16 in which he claimed that the Iranian regime had cancelled over 800 scheduled hangings. However, Iran’s top prosecutor, Mohammad Movahedi, said Friday that, “This claim is completely false; no such number exists, nor has the judiciary made any such decision,” the AP reported.
President Trump promised severe consequences if Iran killed protesters. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo:MAHSA / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported on Friday that the confirmed death toll had reached 5,137, while 7,402 people were seriously injured. HRANA also said that the total number of arrests had risen to nearly 28,000.
On Wednesday, the Iranian government offered its first death toll, saying that 3,117 people had been killed. It said 2,427 were civilians and security forces, and labeled the rest as “terrorists,” according to the AP.
