Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard Corps warns US it has "finger on the trigger"

Tehran, Iran - The commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Thursday warned Israel and the US against "miscalculations" in the wake of mass protests, saying the force had its "finger on the trigger."

General Mohammad Pakpour, who leads Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, warned Israel and the US not to launch attacks following weeks of protests that have rocked Tehran.  © ATTA KENARE / AFP

US President Donald Trump has left open the option of new attacks on the Islamic republic, after he joined Israel's 12-day war in June last year.

A fortnight of protests starting in late December shook the clerical leadership under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but the movement has petered out in the face of a crackdown that even the governments admitted has left thousands dead.

IRG commander General Mohammad Pakpour warned Israel and the US "to avoid any miscalculations, by learning from historical experiences and what they learned in the 12-day imposed war, so that they do not face a more painful and regrettable fate".

"The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and dear Iran have their finger on the trigger, more prepared than ever, ready to carry out the orders and measures of the supreme commander-in-chief – a leader dearer than their own lives," he said, referring to Khamenei.

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IRGC general Qasem Soleimani, who was assassinated by the US on Donald Trump's orders in 2020, remains a revered figure in Iran.  © ATTA KENARE / AFP

His comments came in a written statement quoted by state television marking the national day in Iran to celebrate the Guards, a force whose mission is to protect the 1979 Islamic revolution from internal and external threats.

Pakpour took over as Guards commander last year after his predecessor Hossein Salami was one of several key military figures killed in an Israeli strike during the 12-day war. Trump during his first term also ordered the assassination of top IRGC general Qasem Soleimani.

Giving their first official toll from the protests, Iranian authorities on Wednesday said 3,117 people were killed.

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The statement from the Islamic republic's foundation for martyrs and veterans sought to draw a distinction between "martyrs", who it said were members of security forces and innocent bystanders, and what it described as "rioters" backed by the US.

Of its toll of 3,117, it said 2,427 people were martyrs.

However, rights groups say the heavy toll was caused by security forces firing directly on protesters and that the actual number of those killed could be far higher.

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