US President Donald Trump has said that a large American naval force is heading toward Iran, escalating his warnings to Tehran amid growing tensions over protests inside Iran and its nuclear ambitions.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Thursday after returning from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump said the United States had dispatched a “massive fleet” to the region as a precautionary measure. “We have a lot of ships going that direction, just in case. I’d rather not see anything happen, but we’re watching them very closely,” he said, adding that the deployment was meant as a deterrent and might not ultimately be used.
According to US officials quoted by Reuters, the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided-missile destroyers are expected to reach the Middle East in the coming days. Washington is also considering deploying additional air-defence systems to strengthen protection for US forces and bases in the region.
Trump also repeated his warning against Iran restarting its nuclear programme. He said the United States would respond forcefully if Tehran resumed uranium enrichment. “If they try to do it again, they have to go to another area. We’ll hit them there too, just as easily,” he said. The president further claimed that his earlier threats had compelled Iran to halt nearly 840 planned executions of protesters.
Tensions have risen sharply following widespread protests across Iran that began in late December over economic hardship and have been met with a harsh crackdown. Rights groups and Iranian sources report thousands of deaths since the unrest began.
Iran says it is ready to respond
Iranian officials have responded defiantly to Washington’s moves. General Mohammad Pakpour, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), warned the United States and Israel against “miscalculations,” saying Iranian forces had their “finger on the trigger” and were fully prepared to act if threatened.
“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and dear Iran have their finger on the trigger, more prepared than ever, ready to carry out the orders of the supreme commander-in-chief,” Pakpour said in a statement carried by state television.
Another senior military figure, General Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi, head of Iran’s joint command headquarters, cautioned that if the United States launched an attack, “all US interests, bases and centres of influence” would be considered legitimate targets.
Disputed death toll amid internet blackout
Iranian authorities on Wednesday released their first official death toll from the recent protests, stating that 3,117 people had been killed. The figures, issued by the foundation for martyrs and veterans, said 2,427 of the dead were “martyrs” — described as members of the security forces or innocent bystanders — while others were labelled US-backed “rioters”.
President Masoud Pezeshkian said protest was “the natural right of citizens” but insisted there must be a distinction between peaceful demonstrators and those involved in violence.
Rights groups have strongly disputed the government’s figures. Iran Human Rights (IHR) says it has verified at least 3,428 killings, while the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) has documented 4,902 deaths and more than 26,500 arrests.
Efforts to independently verify the scale of the crackdown have been complicated by a nationwide internet shutdown that has lasted more than two weeks, according to internet monitoring group Netblocks. IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam has said evidence emerging from inside Iran suggests the true death toll is “far higher” than official claims, calling the government’s numbers unreliable.
