Iran has issued its harshest warning yet to U.S. President Donald Trump, stating that any American military action—no matter how limited—would be regarded as a full-scale war and met with the most severe possible response.
The statement came in response to Trump’s remarks aboard Air Force One on Thursday, when he confirmed that a U.S. aircraft carrier strike group, forming part of a larger naval flotilla, was heading toward the Middle East. He characterized the movement as a “massive fleet” and an “armada” positioned “just in case,” while stressing that he hoped military force would not prove necessary. Trump again cautioned Tehran against carrying out executions of protesters or progressing its nuclear program, and he pointed to what he described as the suspension of planned executions involving roughly 800 detained demonstrators.
A senior Iranian official, speaking on condition of anonymity to Reuters on Friday, called the U.S. naval buildup potentially provocative but expressed hope it was not intended to trigger direct conflict. The official emphasized that Iran’s armed forces remain at maximum readiness. “This time we will treat any attack—limited, unlimited, surgical, kinetic, whatever they call it—as an all-out war against us, and we will respond in the hardest way possible to settle this,” the official declared.
The confrontation is unfolding as nationwide anti-government protests in Iran, which began in late December last year, have noticeably subsided in recent days. A sweeping communications blackout has drastically reduced the availability of fresh reports, photographs, and videos from inside the country. The security forces’ response to the demonstrations has led to a substantial death toll. Activists told the Associated Press that at least 5,032 people have been killed, with some estimates placing the number significantly higher.
Trump has frequently cited the reported halt of those executions as an encouraging development and a reason for his current restraint. However, Iran’s Prosecutor General, Mohammad Movahedi, dismissed such claims as “completely false” in comments reported by the judiciary’s Mizan news agency, according to the Associated Press.
Observers note that the deployment places significant military options at President Trump’s disposal, yet he has so far refrained from direct action despite his forceful language—possibly due to diplomatic pressure from regional allies and the realization that air strikes alone would not bring down the government. With additional U.S. assets continuing to move into the region, the situation remains highly tense.
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