‘This Time We Settle It’: Iran Warns of All-Out War After Trump’s ‘Armada’ Remark

International tensions that had briefly appeared to ease flared again on Friday as the United States and Iran exchanged sharp warnings, after President Donald Trump said a US aircraft carrier strike group and other military assets were moving toward the Middle East.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Thursday, Trump said the United States was deploying what he described as an “armada” toward Iran, while stressing he hoped the force would not be used. He renewed warnings to Tehran against killing protesters or restarting its nuclear programme.

“We’re watching Iran. We have a lot of ships going that direction just in case,” Trump said. “We have a big flotilla, a massive fleet heading that way. I’d rather not see anything happen, but we’ll see.”

Iran issues stark warning

Iran responded with its strongest warning yet. A senior Iranian official said on Friday that any attack by the United States would be treated as “an all-out war.”

“This military buildup — we hope it is not intended for real confrontation — but our military is ready for the worst-case scenario,” the official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. “This time we will treat any attack — limited, surgical or otherwise — as an all-out war, and we will respond in the hardest way possible.”

Tensions had eased somewhat in recent days as the pace of anti-government protests in Iran slowed, with few reports emerging during a communications blackout. Protests that began in late December have been met with a severe crackdown, with rights groups estimating that at least 5,000 people have been killed, though some say the true toll may be higher.

According to activists cited by the Associated Press, the death toll has reached at least 5,032.

Trump has repeatedly warned of possible US intervention, prompting calls for restraint from leaders around the world. Analysts say the military buildup gives Washington the option of carrying out strikes, though Trump has so far stopped short of authorizing action.

“While President Trump now appears to have backtracked, likely under regional pressure and recognizing that airstrikes alone would be insufficient to collapse the regime, military assets continue to move into the region, suggesting kinetic action remains possible,” the New York-based Soufan Center said in an analysis cited by AP.

Trump has said mass executions of detainees and the killing of peaceful protesters were red lines for US action. On Friday, however, Iran’s top prosecutor rejected Trump’s claim that Tehran had halted the execution of 800 protesters.

Mohammad Movahedi, Iran’s chief prosecutor, called the claim “completely false” in comments carried by the judiciary’s Mizan news agency, according to AP. Trump has repeatedly made the assertion without citing a source.