One of Iran’s highest-ranking figures delivered a blunt warning aimed directly at President Donald Trump on Thursday, saying any U.S. military action against Iran would trigger retaliation against American forces across the Middle East, according to Iranian media reports.
The comments came as well-placed sources told Fox News Digital that at least one U.S. aircraft carrier was being repositioned toward the region amid escalating tensions with Tehran.
Senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) General Mohsen Rezaei — a member of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council — made the threat during a public address, according to reports.
“Trump has said his hand is on the trigger. We will cut off his hand and his finger,” Rezaei said, according to Iran International.
The warning appeared alongside an additional message: Rezaei reportedly claimed Iran would drop any idea of restraint or negotiations if it came under attack.
“If we move forward, there will be no talk of a ceasefire anymore,” he said. “You do not pay attention to the restraint and strategic patience we have shown. Stop right now. Step back, otherwise none of your bases in the region will be safe,” Rezaei added.
The threat surfaced as at least one U.S. aircraft carrier could be moving toward the Middle East, sources said. U.S. officials have not publicly identified the carrier, and it remains unclear whether it is USS Abraham Lincoln — currently operating in the South China Sea — or one of two carriers that departed Norfolk and San Diego earlier this week.
Military sources said a transit to the region could take at least a week, with more U.S. air, land and sea assets potentially following. The goal, they said, would be to expand Trump’s menu of military options should he order strikes against Iran.
Rezaei is considered one of Iran’s most powerful military figures. He served as commander in chief of the IRGC from 1980 to 1997 and currently holds several senior roles, including vice president for economic affairs and secretary of Iran’s Supreme Council for Economic Coordination. He is also described as a leading figure in the Principlist Resistance Front of Islamic Iran.
In 2006, Argentine authorities issued an international arrest warrant for Rezaei in connection with the 1994 AMIA Jewish community center bombing in Buenos Aires. He was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in January 2020 under Executive Order 13876 for advancing Iran’s destabilizing objectives.
During his tenure, the IRGC broadened repression at home and supported proxy groups abroad, including Hezbollah.
Meanwhile, unrest inside Iran continued into its 19th day. According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), at least 2,677 arrests have been recorded, with 1,693 additional cases under investigation.
Another agency also reported expanding communications disruptions, including the shutdown of landlines in some areas.
“They are continuing as before, but not at the pace before the slaughter of thousands and the arrests,” Ali Safavi of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) told Fox News Digital, claiming as many as 50,000 detainees.
“There is still a total shutdown of the internet. Security forces are raiding residential areas and going to people’s rooftops. They started destroying satellite dishes,” Safavi said, describing clashes that he said continued through Wednesday night into Thursday in Tehran and Kermanshah, including gunfire.
NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi also urged the international community to act immediately to secure the release of detainees and demanded an urgent international fact-finding mission to Iran’s prisons.
