The leader of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a stark warning to the United States on Saturday, declaring the paramilitary unit is “more prepared than ever, with a finger on the trigger,” as U.S. naval forces move closer to the Middle East. This declaration follows increased pressure from President Donald Trump amid widespread anti-government protests in Iran, where the IRGC has been instrumental in the government’s harsh response.

General Mohammad Pakpour, the head of the IRGC, stated, “The Islamic Revolutionary Guard and our beloved Iran are more prepared than ever, with a finger on the trigger, ready to carry out the orders and directives of our Commander-in-Chief,” according to a report by The Associated Press, referencing Nournews, a media outlet affiliated with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.

Additionally, Pakpour cautioned the U.S. and Israel against any potential “miscalculation,” as reported by the AP. This follows a previous warning by an Iranian ambassador, who accused the U.S. and Israel of being behind “political destabilization, internal unrest, and chaos” in Iran.

Both President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have voiced their support for the Iranian demonstrators. Netanyahu stated that Israel is “closely monitoring” the developments and pledged that once Iran is “freed from the shackles of tyranny,” Israel stands ready to be a partner in peace.

Iran has reiterated its warning to the U.S. against any intervention, as the nation continues to grapple with ongoing protests. (Image Credits: Iranian Leader Press Office/Anadolu via Getty Images; Allison Robbert/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

On Tuesday, Iran warned Trump not to take action against its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“Trump knows that if any hand of aggression is extended toward our leader, we not only cut that hand, but also we will set fire to their world,” Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesman for Iran’s armed forces, said, according to the AP.

On Thursday, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he was moving warships toward Iran “just in case” he wants to take action.

“We have a massive fleet heading in that direction and maybe we won’t have to use it,” Trump said, the AP reported.

A U.S. Navy official told the AP that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and other warships traveling with it were in the Indian Ocean.

The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier and a U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress, conduct joint exercises in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in Arabian Sea June 1, 2019.  (Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Brian M. Wilbur/U.S. Navy via AP, File)

Anti-regime protests started on Dec. 28 as Iranians took to the streets to voice their displeasure with the economic woes facing the country, which has become more isolated internationally. Since then, despite an internet blackout, reports of violence against protesters have emerged.

When the protests began, Trump warned the regime that the U.S. was “locked and loaded” and ready to act if it used violence against protesters.

Trump previously put out a Truth Social post on Jan. 16 in which he claimed that the Iranian regime had cancelled over 800 scheduled hangings. However, Iran’s top prosecutor, Mohammad Movahedi, said Friday that, “This claim is completely false; no such number exists, nor has the judiciary made any such decision,” the AP reported.

President Trump promised severe consequences if Iran killed protesters. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo:MAHSA / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported on Friday that the confirmed death toll had reached 5,137, while 7,402 people were seriously injured. HRANA also said that the total number of arrests had risen to nearly 28,000.

On Wednesday, the Iranian government offered its first death toll, saying that 3,117 people had been killed. It said 2,427 were civilians and security forces, and labeled the rest as “terrorists,” according to the AP.