Iran warns of all-out war as US deploys armada to Middle East; airlines suspend flights
A senior Iranian official said Tehran views the US military buildup as a direct threat and would use "everything at its disposal" to retaliate if attacked. "Any strike, whether described as limited or surgical, will be treated as a full-scale war against us," the official was quoted by Iranian media as saying.
New Delhi: Iran has issued a stark warning to the United States, saying any military strike would be treated as an "all-out war", after US President Donald Trump announced the deployment of a large American naval force to the Middle East.
A senior Iranian official said Tehran views the US military buildup as a direct threat and would use "everything at its disposal" to retaliate if attacked. "Any strike, whether described as limited or surgical, will be treated as a full-scale war against us," the official was quoted by Iranian media as saying.
The warning came after Trump's statement that an "armada" of US warships was heading toward the region. "We have a big force going toward Iran," Trump said on Thursday. "I'd rather not see anything happen, but we will see. We are watching them very closely. We have an armada, we have a massive fleet heading in that direction, and maybe we won't have to use it."
Iran's armed forces on high alert
According to reports in US media and Reuters the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, along with three destroyers armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles and US Air Force F-15E fighter jets, are being deployed to the Middle East.
Iran has placed country's armed forces on high alert. "We hope this buildup is not meant for confrontation, but our military is prepared for the worst-case scenario," the official said.
Tensions escalated further after senior Iranian military leaders issued increasingly combative statements. A spokesperson for Iran’s armed forces warned that any move against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would have "catastrophic consequences", while the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Iran had its "finger on the trigger" in response to threats from the US and Israel.
Six international airlines suspend flight to Middle East
The escalation comes amid prolonged unrest inside Iran, where months of anti-government protests have been met with a violent crackdown. The number of civilians killed in crackdown on protests may be more than 20,000, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran said, according to a Bloomberg report.
Iran has accused US of orchastrating these protests.
Meanwhile, six international airlines have suspended flights to the Middle East amid escalating geopolitical tensions. Dutch airline KLM and Air France have halted services to several destinations in the region, including Dubai.