Iran is raising its military alert level amid growing fears of a possible US attack, after mobilizing around 1,000 drones deemed “strategic”, according to state media in Tehran.
Iranian drones/PHOTO: Archive
The Tasnim agency, close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), confirmed the deployment of the new military capabilities, presented as a preemptive response to the escalation of tensions in the Gulf and recent US military moves.
The announcement comes in the context in which US President Donald Trump ordered the dispatch of a naval “armada” to the region, a decision qualified by analysts as one of the most serious military escalations in recent years. The naval group is led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, and Trump has publicly warned that a possible attack on Iran would be “much tougher” than the massive air operation launched last year against Iran's nuclear infrastructure, express.com writes.
In a message published on his platform, Truth Social, the White House leader described the deployment of US forces as “swift, strong and decisive”, saying that the fleet is “ready, willing and able to carry out its mission, with speed and violence if necessary”. Trump renewed his call for Tehran to return to the negotiating table, stressing that time is “running out” and that the only acceptable option for Washington remains a deal that definitively excludes Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Tehran's response was prompt and sharp. A senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the idea of a “limited attack” was an illusion and that any US military action, regardless of scale, would be considered an act of war. Iran's response, he warned, would be “immediate, total and unprecedented”, including targeting Tel Aviv and all supporters of the alleged aggressor.
Setting up this new front of tension marks a shift in emphasis in the Trump administration's discourse. In the past, Washington's military threats have mainly been linked to Iran's violent crackdown on domestic protests, which human rights groups say have left thousands dead. At one point, the US president temporarily abandoned the idea of an attack, citing Tehran's promise to suspend executions of protesters.
Currently, however, the nuclear issue and Iran's ballistic missile program seem to have returned to the fore. According to sources cited by CNN, preliminary talks between the White House and Iranian authorities on these issues have not made progress, fueling the risk of a direct confrontation in an already highly volatile region.
