United States President Donald Trump has directed a “massive” deployment of U.S. warships toward Iran, even as he hinted that the force may ultimately not be used, amid rising tensions between Washington and Tehran.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while returning from Davos, Switzerland, after the World Economic Forum, Trump said the naval movement was precautionary.
“We have a lot of ships going in that direction just in case. We have a big flotilla heading that way, and we’ll see what happens,” he said. “We have an armada — a massive fleet moving in that direction — and maybe we won’t have to use it. We’ll see.”
The development comes days after Mohammad Pakpour, commander-in-chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), issued a stern warning to the United States and Israel, urging them to avoid “any miscalculation” that could lead to what he described as a “more painful and regret-inducing fate.”
Pakpour stated that Iranian forces had their “fingers on the trigger,” were “more prepared than ever,” and stood ready to carry out any orders issued by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Fears of a possible U.S. military strike intensified during Iran’s December–January protests, after Trump threatened intervention if Iranian authorities used force against demonstrators. The U.S. president repeatedly encouraged Iranians to seize control of institutions “if possible,” claiming the United States was “locked and loaded” to protect protesters.
Iranian authorities have blamed the U.S. and Israel for instigating violence during the nationwide unrest. Iran’s Foreign Minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, said earlier this week that U.S. threats against Iran “gave plotters an incentive” to pursue what he called a strategy of “maximum bloodshed.”
In a televised address last Saturday, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei described the U.S. president as “criminal,” accusing him of responsibility for casualties, destruction, and what he termed slander against the Iranian nation.
According to Iran’s state broadcaster, IRIB, at least 3,117 people were killed during the unrest, with 2,427 reportedly classified as “innocent civilians and security forces.”
With relative calm returning to the region following a pause in the Gaza war, analysts warn that any direct U.S. strike on Iran could plunge the Middle East into renewed instability, with unpredictable consequences.
