Iran has clearly told the US, the US is under a misconception, if attacked, the US will be destroyed.

Washington, 23 January (Agency). The commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned Washington on Thursday that Tehran's "hand is on the trigger" after recent public protests, while US President Donald Trump said Iran is still interested in negotiating with Washington.

Following a 12-day war initiated by Israel in June, in which Washington participated and provided substantial support, Trump has kept the option of new military action against Iran open. The declared goal of the war was to weaken Iran's nuclear and missile programs.

Trump announced on Thursday that a "large US military fleet" is heading to the Gulf, warning that "we are watching Iran". Protests that began in late December shook Iran under the leadership of Ali Khamenei, but the movement cooled down after a crackdown.

According to human rights organizations, thousands of people were killed in the crackdown, and the internet was blocked on a large scale. Although the possibility of immediate US military action against Iran seemed low last week as both sides talked about giving diplomacy a chance, US media reports suggest Trump is still considering various options.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump said the US had bombed Iranian nuclear facilities last year to prevent Tehran from building atomic weapons. Iran denies the allegations and insists its program is civilian.

The US president said, "We cannot let this happen," adding, "Iran wants to talk, and we will talk." On his way back from Davos, Trump told journalists on board the presidential plane 'Air Force One' that "we are watching Iran".

He said, "A large force is heading to Iran, I don't want to see anything bad happen, but we are watching them closely." He described the force as a "war fleet" and "a very big fleet", but added, "Maybe we won't need to use it".

Maintaining his series of changing statements regarding Iran, Trump warned Iranian leaders on Tuesday that if there were an attack on him in retaliation for a potential strike targeting Khamenei, the US would "wipe them off the face of the earth".

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the US and Israel of fueling the protests on Thursday, calling it "a cowardly revenge for the defeat in the 12-day war". In this context, Revolutionary Guards Commander Mohammad Pakpour warned Israel and the US of the consequences of "misunderstanding", saying they should learn from historical experiences and the 12-day war to avoid a more painful outcome.

Pakpour said, "The Revolutionary Guards and dear Iran's hand is on the trigger, and they are more alert and ready to follow Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's orders than ever before". Pakpour's statement came in the form of a written message on state television on the occasion of Iran's National Day.

Pakpour took command of the Revolutionary Guards after Hossein Salami's death last year, who was killed along with several other military commanders in Israeli attacks. Meanwhile, "Khatam al-Anbia Headquarters" Commander Brigadier General Ali Abdollahi Abadi also warned that if the US attacks, all US interests, bases, and centers would be "legitimate targets" for the Iranian armed forces.

On Wednesday, Iranian authorities released the first official figures for the deaths in the protests. According to state television, a total of 3117 people were killed in the wave of protests, of which 2427 were declared "martyrs" because they were "innocent", mostly bystanders who were caught in the firing.

President Pezeshkian said on Thursday that protest is a "natural right" of citizens, but it is essential to distinguish between protesters and those "whose hands are stained with the blood of the innocent".