U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered a “massive” naval force to move toward Iran, while suggesting it may not be used. The announcement comes as tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to escalate.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One after attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump said: “We have a lot of ships going that direction just in case. We have a big flotilla going in that direction. And we’ll see what happens.”
He added: “We have an armada. We have a massive fleet heading in that direction, and maybe we won’t have to use it. We’ll see.”
Earlier, Mohammad Pakpour, chief commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, warned the U.S. and Israel against any miscalculation.
“Refrain from any miscalculation to avoid a more painful and regret-inducing fate,” Pakpour said. He stressed that Iranian forces had their “fingers on the trigger,” were “more prepared than ever,” and ready to follow orders from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Protests and U.S. Threats
Fear of a U.S. attack rose during Iran’s December-January protests. Trump had threatened to intervene if Iranian authorities used force against demonstrators.
He repeatedly urged Iranians to take over institutions “if possible,” saying the U.S. was “locked and loaded” to protect protesters.
Iranian officials accused Washington and Israel of fueling violence. Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said U.S. threats “gave plotters an incentive” to pursue what he described as a strategy of “maximum bloodshed.”
In a televised statement last Saturday, Ayatollah Khamenei accused Trump of responsibility for casualties and unrest.
“I consider the U.S. president criminal for the casualties, damages and slander he inflicted on the Iranian nation,” Khamenei declared.
According to Iranian state television IRIB, 3,117 people were killed during the unrest. Of those, 2,427 were classified as “innocent civilians and security forces.”
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