As the United States hinted at the possibility of military intervention citing the Iranian regime's bloody suppression of protesters, a U.S. aircraft carrier strike group has reportedly entered the Indian Ocean. Iran responded that it would regard any attack as a full-scale war, heightening tensions across the Middle East.
On the 23rd (local time), Reuters reported that a senior Iranian official said that day that Iran "will consider any attack a full-scale war."
The official, who requested anonymity, said of the movement of the U.S. carrier strike group, "We hope this military buildup is not for an actual confrontation, but our military is prepared for the worst-case scenario," adding, "For that reason, the entire country of Iran has entered the highest state of alert."
The official said, "This time, whatever they call it—limited, unlimited, precision strike, physical attack—we will consider every attack a full-scale war against us," adding, "We will respond in the strongest way possible to resolve this issue."
Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters aboard the presidential plane Air Force One on the 22nd, "A large fleet is heading toward Iran, and we will see what happens," adding, "We hope nothing happens, but we are watching them very closely."
Reuters, citing two U.S. officials, reported that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, along with destroyers and fighter jets deployed in the South China Sea, began moving to the Middle East last week. One official said additional air defense systems were also being considered for deployment in the region.
The Jerusalem Post and the military outlet The War Zone (TWZ) also reported that in the past few days a large number of fighter jets, aerial refueling aircraft, destroyers, and other naval assets have been deployed to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR).
Mohammad Pakpour, a major general and top commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said to Israel and the United States, "Iran is more prepared than ever and is ready with fingers on the trigger to carry out the supreme commander's orders and actions."