U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered a “massive” U.S. naval force to move toward Iran.
The move was announced, even as Trump hinted the fleet might never be used. The development has raised fears of a deeper crisis between Washington and Tehran at a time of growing unrest.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while returning from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump confirmed the deployment.
“We have a lot of ships going that direction just in case. We have a big flotilla going in that direction. And we’ll see what happens,” he said.
Trump doubled down moments later, reinforcing the scale of the move. “We have an armada. We have a massive fleet heading in that direction, and maybe we won’t have to use it. We’ll see,” he added.
Meanwhile, Iran reacted sharply. Mohammad Pakpour, the chief commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, warned both the United States and Israel to “refrain from any miscalculation.”
He cautioned that such errors could lead to a “more painful and regret-inducing fate.” According to Pakpour, Iranian forces were already on high alert.
He stressed that Iranian troops had their “fingers on the trigger” and were “more prepared than ever.”
He also said they were ready to act on direct orders from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. These statements were seen as a clear signal that Tehran is unwilling to back down.
The current tension has been building for months. Fear of U.S. military action increased during Iran’s December–January protests.
During that period, Trump openly threatened to intervene if Iranian authorities cracked down on demonstrators.
Moreover, Trump urged Iranians to take control of institutions “if possible,” while claiming the U.S. was “locked and loaded” to protect protesters.
Iranian officials later accused Washington and Israel of fueling the unrest and worsening violence across the country.
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, said U.S. threats “gave plotters an incentive” to pursue what he described as “maximum bloodshed.”
Furthermore, Khamenei accused Trump directly, saying he considered “the U.S. president criminal for the casualties, damages and slander he inflicted on the Iranian nation.”
According to Iranian state television IRIB, 3,117 people were killed during the unrest. Of that number, 2,427 were described as “innocent civilians and security forces.”
