The head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) warned the US on Saturday that the paramilitary force is “more ready than ever, with its finger on the trigger” as American warships sail towards the Middle East. The warning comes after weeks of pressure from President Donald Trump amid widespread anti-regime protests and violent government crackdowns, with the IRGC playing a key role.
“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and beloved Iran are more ready than ever to carry out, with their finger on the trigger, the orders and directives of the Commander-in-Chief,” said IRGC Chief General Mohammad Pakpour. The Associated Press reported, citing Nournews, a news outlet close to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
Pakpour also reportedly warned the US and Israel “to avoid any miscalculation,” according to the AP. The warning comes after another last week from an Iranian ambassador who said the US and Israel were responsible for “political destabilization, internal unrest and chaos.”
Both Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have expressed support for the Iranian protesters. Netanyahu said his country was “closely monitoring” the situation. He also promised that once Iran was “liberated from the yoke of tyranny,” Israel would be ready to be a partner in peace.
IRAN WILL DESTROY ‘WITH EVERYTHING WE HAVE’ IF US ATTACKS, SENIOR DIPLOMAT WARNS
Iran has warned the US not to act as the country continues to see protests. (Iranian news agency leader/Anadolu via Getty Images; Allison Robbert/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Iran warned Trump on Tuesday not to take action against its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“Trump knows that if a hand of aggression is extended to our leader, we will not only cut off that hand, but also set their world on fire,” 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 huge fleet going that way and we may not need 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 aircraft carrier and a U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress conduct joint exercises in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in the Arabian Sea on June 1, 2019. (Mass Communications Specialist 1st Class Brian M. Wilbur/US Navy via AP, file)
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM RELEASES IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER FROM DAVOS SUMMIT AGAINST DEADLY CREDITS AGAINST DEMONSTRATIONS
The anti-regime protests began on December 28 when Iranians took to the streets to express their dismay over the economic problems facing the country, which has become more internationally isolated. Since then, despite an internet outage, reports of violence against protesters have emerged.
As the protests began, Trump warned the regime that the US was “locked and loaded” and was prepared to act if it used force against demonstrators.
Trump previously made a Truth Social post on January 16 claiming that the Iranian regime had canceled more than 800 scheduled hangings. However, Iran’s top prosecutor Mohammad Movahedi said on Friday: “This claim is completely false; such a number does not exist, nor has the judiciary made such a decision,” the AP reported.
President Trump promised dire consequences if Iran killed protesters. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo: MAHSA / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The US-based Press agency for human rights activists (HRANA) reported on Friday that the confirmed death toll had reached 5,137, while 7,402 people were seriously injured. HRANA also said the total number of arrests had risen to almost 28,000.
On Wednesday, the Iranian government announced its first death toll, saying 3,117 people had been killed. It said 2,427 were civilians and security forces, and labeled the rest “terrorists,” according to the AP.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
