Iran issues 'finger on trigger' warning as Trump says US ‘armada’ headed towards region — ‘If Americans violate…’

A high-ranking Iranian official said on Friday that Tehran will interpret any military offensive "as an all-out war against us," reported Reuters.

This defiant statement precedes the scheduled arrival of a United States aircraft carrier strike group and supplementary military hardware in the Middle East.

"This military buildup - we hope it is not intended for real confrontation - but our military is ready for the worst-case scenario. This is why everything is on high alert in Iran," the senior Iranian official told Reuters. "This time we will treat any attack - limited, unlimited, surgical, kinetic, whatever they call it - as an all-out war against us, and we will respond in the hardest way possible to settle this," the official added.

On Thursday, US President Donald Trump confirmed that a naval "armada" was advancing toward the region. While expressing a desire to avoid direct conflict, he reiterated stern warnings to the Iranian leadership regarding the suppression of protesters and any potential resumption of their nuclear development activities.

“We have a massive fleet heading in that direction and maybe we won’t have to use it,” Trump said aboard Air Force One.

While the United States military frequently deploys reinforcements to the Middle East as a deterrent during periods of friction, these maneuvers are generally characterized as defensive. Nevertheless, a similar large-scale mobilization occurred last year, serving as the precursor to the June military strikes launched against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

"If the Americans violate Iran's sovereignty and territorial integrity, we will respond," said the Iranian official.

"A country under constant military threat from the United States has no option but to ensure that everything at its disposal can be used to push back and, if possible, restore balance against anyone who dares to attack Iran," the official said.

Nournews, a news outlet close to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, reported on its Telegram channel that the commander, Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, warned the US and Israel “to avoid any miscalculation.”

“The Islamic Revolutionary Guards and dear Iran stand more ready than ever, finger on the trigger, to execute the orders and directives of the Commander-in-Chief,” Nournews quoted Pakpour as saying.