Iran IRGC Warns US, Israel Amid Protest Crackdown

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander warned the United States and Israel against any miscalculation on Saturday, stating that his forces stand more ready than ever, with a finger on the trigger, to defend the country. The remarks by General Mohammad Pakpour came as a U.S. aircraft carrier group, led by the USS Abraham Lincoln, moved toward the Middle East, heightening tensions following a deadly crackdown on nationwide protests that began on December 28.

The protests, initially sparked by the collapse of Iran's rial and soaring inflation, spread across the country for about two weeks before security forces quelled them. Activists with the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported a death toll of more than 5,000 people on Saturday, drawing on a network of sources inside Iran to verify incidents despite a nationwide internet blackout that has lasted over two weeks. The figure surpasses fatalities from any major unrest in Iran in decades, evoking memories of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Iran's government, providing its first official count on Wednesday, reported 3,117 deaths, including 2,427 civilians and security personnel, while classifying the...