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The commandant of Iran's Revolutionary Guards connected Thursday (January 22, 2026) warned Washington that the unit had its "finger connected the trigger" successful the aftermath of wide protests, arsenic U.S. President Donald Trump said the Islamic Republic inactive appeared funny successful talks.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly near unfastened the enactment of caller subject enactment against Iran aft Washington backed and joined Israel's 12-day warfare successful June aimed astatine degrading Iranian atomic and ballistics programmes.
A fortnight of protests starting successful precocious December shook the clerical enactment nether Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but the question has petered retired successful the look of a crackdown that activists accidental has near thousands dead, accompanied by an unprecedented net blackout.
The imaginable of contiguous American enactment against Tehran appears to person receded implicit the past week, with some sides insisting connected giving diplomacy a accidental adjacent arsenic U.S. media study Mr. Trump is inactive studying options.
Addressing the World Economic Forum successful Davos, Mr. Trump said the U.S. struck Iranian uranium enrichment sites past twelvemonth to forestall Tehran from making a atomic weapon. Iran denies its atomic programme is aimed astatine seeking the bomb.
"Can't fto that happen," helium said, adding: "And Iran does privation to talk, and we'll talk."
In a standoff marked by seesawing rhetoric, Mr. Trump had connected Tuesday (January 20) warned Iran's leaders the U.S. would "wipe them disconnected the look of this earth" if determination was immoderate onslaught connected his beingness successful effect to a onslaught targeting Mr. Khamenei.
'Legitimate targets'
Guards commandant General Mohammad Pakpour warned Israel and the United States "to debar immoderate miscalculations, by learning from humanities experiences and what they learned successful the 12-day imposed war, truthful that they bash not look a much achy and regrettable fate".
"The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and beloved Iran person their digit connected the trigger, much prepared than ever, acceptable to transportation retired the orders and measures of the ultimate commander-in-chief — a person dearer than their ain lives," helium said, referring to Mr. Khamenei.
His comments came successful a written connection quoted by authorities tv marking the nationalist time successful Iran to observe the Guards, a unit whose ngo is to support the 1979 Islamic gyration from interior and outer threats.
Activists impeach the Guards of playing a frontline relation successful the deadly crackdown connected protests. The radical is sanctioned arsenic a violent entity by countries including Australia, Canada and the United States, and campaigners person agelong urged akin moves from the EU and U.K..
Mr. Pakpour took implicit arsenic Guards commandant past twelvemonth aft his predecessor Hossein Salami was 1 of respective cardinal subject figures killed successful an Israeli onslaught during the 12-day war, losses which revealed Israel's heavy quality penetration of the Islamic republic.
Another elder subject figure, General Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi, who leads the Iranian associated bid headquarters, meanwhile, warned that successful the lawsuit of an onslaught by the United States, "all U.S. interests, bases and centres of influence" would beryllium "legitimate targets" for the Iranian equipped forces.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi — successful an eye-catching sentiment portion published connected Tuesday (January 20) successful the Wall Street Journal — said Iran would not clasp backmost if attacked but added it had "always been acceptable for existent and superior negotiations".
'National kill-switch'
Giving their archetypal authoritative toll from the protests, Iranian authorities connected Wednesday (January 21) said 3,117 radical were killed.
The connection from Iran's instauration for martyrs and veterans sought to gully a favoritism betwixt "martyrs", who it said were members of information forces oregon guiltless bystanders, and what it described arsenic "rioters" backed by the US.
Of its toll of 3,117, it said 2,427 radical were martyrs.
However, rights groups accidental the dense toll was caused by information forces firing straight connected protesters and that the existent fig of those killed could beryllium acold higher and adjacent widen to implicit 20,000.
Efforts to corroborate the standard of the toll person been hampered by the nationalist net shutdown, with show Netblocks saying it was present 2 weeks since the authorities reached for the "national kill-switch".
Speaking astatine the World Economic Forum successful Davos, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said "the aboriginal for the Iranian radical tin lone beryllium successful a authorities change", adding that "the Ayatollah authorities is successful rather a fragile situation".
