Iran Warns US Of ‘All-Out War’ After Trump Says ‘Armada’ Of Warships Headed To Middle East

Last Updated:January 24, 2026, 08:55 IST

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.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and US President Donald Trump

Iran issued a stark warning to the United States, saying it would treat any attack with an “all-out war," a day after US President Donald Trump claimed a large American naval force was being deployed 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 they describe it as limited, surgical or otherwise, will be treated as a full-scale war against us," the official said, adding that Iran would respond with maximum force.

The warning followed Trump’s statement that an “armada" of US warships was heading toward the region, reigniting tensions that had appeared to ease in recent days.

According to US media reports, the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and three destroyers armed with Tomahawk missiles are being sent to the Middle East, alongside a deployment of US Air Force F-15E fighter jets.

Iranian officials said the country’s armed forces have been placed on high alert, though they did not specify what a potential response would involve.

“We hope this buildup is not meant for actual confrontation," the official said. “But our military is prepared for the worst-case scenario. That is why Iran is on full alert."

The escalation comes against the backdrop of prolonged unrest inside Iran, where months of anti-government protests have been met with a violent crackdown by authorities.

Activist groups say more than 5,000 people have been killed since demonstrations erupted earlier this year, though the Iranian government has not confirmed the figures.

Tensions between Washington and Tehran had briefly cooled last week after Trump suggested he had stepped back from military action, citing assurances from Iran that detained protesters would not face execution.

Trump later claimed his pressure had prevented the execution of hundreds of detainees.

The situation has since deteriorated again, with Iranian military leaders amplifying the confrontational rhetoric.

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 said Iran had its “finger on the trigger" in response to threats from the US and Israel.

The renewed standoff comes as Trump returned to the United States following his visit to the World Economic Forum in Davos, raising fresh concerns that the long-running hostility between Washington and Tehran could spiral into direct confrontation.

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