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New Delhi: As Iran grapples with rising tensions, it issued a fresh warning on Friday, stating that it would treat any attack as an all-out war, following reports of the US deploying a military aircraft carrier strike group in the coming days. A senior Iranian official said the military would not initiate an attack, as the country is not prepared for a “worst-case scenario”, adding that this is the core reason behind Iran being on high alert amid fears of war.

The Iranian official reiterated that this time Iran would treat any attack—“limited, unlimited, surgical, kinetic, whatever they call it”—as an all-out war and would respond in the hardest way possible “to settle the matter”. The warning comes a day after US President Donald Trump spoke of sending an “armada”, though he added that he did not wish to use it. Trump also warned Tehran against provocations and restarting its nuclear programme.

‘Tehran would response appropriately’

The anonymous Iranian official asserted that if the US attempts to violate Iranian sovereignty and territorial integrity, Tehran would respond appropriately. However, the official did not specify how Iran would respond to such an attack, Reuters reported.

In another strong statement, the Tehran official said Iran is under constant threat from the US and therefore has no option but to use everything at its disposal to push back and, if possible, restore balance against anyone who dares to attack the country.

The Trump administration has previously deployed military assets in the Middle East during periods of heightened tensions with Iran. The US military had also carried out a major build-up last year ahead of its June strikes against Iran’s nuclear programme.

Why are the Iranians protesting

Protests erupted across multiple Iranian cities on December 28, 2025, driven by mounting anger over the Islamic Republic government and a deepening economic crisis, in what has become the country’s largest uprising since the 1979 revolution.