IRGC chief says force has ‘finger on the trigger’ as US fleet heads to Middle East

Then-commander of the ground forces of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour, attends a military parade as part of a ceremony marking the country's annual army day in Tehran, Iran, on April 17, 2024. (ATTA KENARE / AFP)
Then-commander of the ground forces of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour, attends a military parade as part of a ceremony marking the country's annual army day in Tehran, Iran, on April 17, 2024. (ATTA KENARE / AFP)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a force that was key in putting down recent nationwide protests in a crackdown that left thousands dead, is “more ready than ever, finger on the trigger,” its commander says, as US warships headed toward the Middle East.

Nournews, a news outlet close to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, reports on its Telegram channel that the commander, Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, warns the United States and Israel “to avoid any miscalculation.”

“The Islamic Revolutionary Guards and dear Iran stand more ready than ever, finger on the trigger, to execute the orders and directives of the Commander-in-Chief,” Nournews quotes Pakpour as saying.

Tension remains high between Iran and the US in the wake of a bloody crackdown on protests that began on December 28, triggered by the collapse of Iran’s currency, the rial, and swept the country for about two weeks.

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