Daijiworld Media Network - Tehran
Tehran, Jan 24: Iran on Friday issued a stern warning that it would treat any military strike against it as an “all-out war” and respond with maximum force, amid a growing US military buildup in the Middle East, including the deployment of an aircraft carrier strike group.
A senior Iranian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the country’s armed forces were on high alert for a “worst-case scenario”. “This time we will treat any attack — limited, unlimited, surgical or kinetic — as an all-out war against us, and we will respond in the hardest way possible to settle this,” the official told.
The warning came as US President Donald Trump confirmed that an “armada” of American naval assets was heading towards the region, though he said he hoped military action would not be necessary. Speaking aboard Air Force One on Thursday, Trump cautioned Tehran against killing protesters or reviving its nuclear programme. “We’re watching Iran… we have a lot of ships going that direction just in case,” he said.
According to US Navy officials, the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its accompanying warships are currently travelling from the South China Sea and are now positioned in the Indian Ocean. A US Navy official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the movement on Thursday.
Separately, the UK Defence Ministry said its joint Eurofighter Typhoon squadron with Qatar, 12 Squadron, has been deployed to the Persian Gulf for defensive purposes in view of rising regional tensions.
The escalation follows a brutal crackdown on nationwide protests in Iran that began in late December. Activist groups claim at least 5,032 people have been killed, though some estimates place the death toll even higher. Protest activity has reportedly slowed in recent days due to a communication blackout imposed by Iranian authorities.
Iran’s top prosecutor Mohammad Movahedi on Friday rejected Trump’s claims that Tehran had halted the execution of 800 detained protesters, calling the allegation “completely false”, according to a report by the Associated Press quoting the judiciary’s Mizan news agency.
Analysts said the US military buildup gives Washington the option of carrying out strikes, even though Trump has so far stopped short of direct action. The Soufan Center, a New York-based think tank, noted that while Trump may have reconsidered military intervention due to regional pressure and the limits of airstrikes, the continued deployment of assets suggests the possibility of kinetic action remains.
Meanwhile, Trump’s confrontational foreign policy stance has drawn criticism from allies. In the UK, Prime Minister Keir Starmer described Trump’s remarks on NATO as “insulting and frankly appalling”. In Canada, Governor Mark Carney urged middle powers to unite against unilateral actions, a position that reportedly led Trump to revoke Carney’s invitation to his Board of Peace.
Observers warn that the rapidly escalating rhetoric and military movements heighten the risk of miscalculation as tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to mount.