Iran commander warns US that they have their ‘finger on trigger’

Iranrsquos paramilitary Revolutionary Guard a force which was key in putting down recent nationwide protests in a crackdown that left thousands dead is ldquomore ready than ever finger on the triggerrdquo its commander said Saturday as US warships headed toward the Middle EastNournews a news outlet close to Iranrsquos Supreme National Security Council reported on its Telegram channel that the commander Gen Mohammad Pakpour warned the United States and Israel ldquoto avoid any miscalculationrdquoldquoThe Islamic Revolutionary Guards and dear Iran stand more ready than ever finger on the trigger to execute the orders and directives of the CommanderinChiefrdquo Nournews quoted Pakpour as sayingTension 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 Iranrsquos currency the rial and swept the country for about two weeksTrumprsquos warningsUS President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned Tehran setting two red lines for the use of military force the killing of peaceful demonstrators and the mass execution of people arrested in the protestsTrump has said Iran halted the execution of 800 people detained in the protests He has not elaborated on the source of the claim which Iranrsquos top prosecutor Mohammad Movahedi strongly denied on Friday in comments carried by the judiciaryrsquos Mizan news agencyOn Thursday Trump said aboard Air Force One that the US was moving warships toward Iran ldquojust in caserdquo he wants to take action ldquoWe have a massive fleet heading in that direction and maybe we wonrsquot have to use itrdquo Trump saidA US Navy official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military movements said on Thursday that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and other warships travelling with it were in the Indian OceanTrump also mentioned the multiple rounds of talks American officials had with Iran over its nuclear programme before Israel launched a 12day war against the Islamic Republic in June which also saw US warplanes bomb Iranian nuclear sites He threatened Iran with military action that would make earlier US strikes against Iranian uranium enrichment sites ldquolook like peanutsrdquo ldquoThey should have made a deal before we hit themrdquo Trump saidAirline jittersThe tension has led at least one European airline to cancel some flights to the wider region with Air France saying it had decided to temporarily suspend its service to Dubai UAEThe airline cancelled two return flights from Paris to Dubai over the weekend saying without elaborating that it was due to the current situation in the Middle East It said it would resume its service to Dubai later on Saturday Some flights from KLM were also cancelled on Friday and Saturday to Tel Aviv Israel according to flight trackersRising death tollAlthough there have been no further demonstrations in Iran for days the death toll reported by activists has continued to rise as information trickles out despite the most comprehensive internet blackout in Iranrsquos history which has now lasted more than two weeks The USbased Human Rights Activists News Agency on Saturday put the death toll at 5137 with the number expected to increase5137Death toll according to US NGOThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever