Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard Corps is "more ready than ever and with its finger on the trigger," its commander said today, after the United States (US) announced it was directing a flotilla of ships to the Middle East and that the military was ready to respond.
The Nurnjuz platform, close to Iran's Supreme National Security Council, announced on its Telegram channel that Revolutionary Guard commander Mohammad Pakpour warned the US and Israel "to avoid any miscalculation."
"The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and dear Iran are more ready than ever, with their finger on the trigger, to carry out the orders and directives of the Supreme Commander," the announcement said.
United States (US) President Donald Trump has previously repeatedly warned Tehran that he will use force if the killing of peaceful protesters, who have been protesting across the country since December 28, continues.
He said on Thursday that the US was moving warships towards Iran "just in case" it wanted to take action.
"We have a huge fleet going in that direction and we may not have to use it," Trump said, and a US military official added that there is also an aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean.
Several European airlines have canceled flights to Iran and its surrounding countries, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), due to tensions in the region.
Although the demonstrations in Iran have subsided, the death toll has continued to rise, with the American activist news agency HRANA reporting that the total number of victims is 5.137, while more than 27.700 people have been arrested.
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