Will treat any attack as all-out war: Iran warns Trump over military action

Iran will treat any attack “as an all-out ‍war against us,” a senior Iranian official said ​on Friday (January 23, 2026), ahead of the arrival of ‌a U.S. military aircraft carrier strike group ​and other assets in the Middle East in the coming days.

“This military buildup - we hope it is not intended for real confrontation - but our military is ready for the worst-case scenario. This is why everything is on high ​alert in Iran,” said the senior Iranian official, ⁠speaking on condition of anonymity.

“This time we will treat any attack - limited, unlimited, surgical, kinetic, whatever they call it - as ​an all-out war against ⁠us, and we will respond in the hardest way possible to settle this,” the official said.