Iran warns of retaliation if US conducts strike

On Sunday, a new mural was unveiled in Tehran’s Enghelab Square, showing damaged planes on an aircraft carrier with the slogan, “If you sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind.”

The artwork is widely seen as a direct warning to the US against military action. The mural comes as the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and accompanying warships move toward the region, a deployment President Donald Trump described as precautionary, saying military action “might not be necessary” but warning that any strike would make last June’s US attacks on Iranian nuclear sites “look like peanuts.”

Enghelab Square, traditionally used for state gatherings, changes its murals to mark national occasions. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has also issued warnings, asserting its forces are “more ready than ever, finger on the trigger.”

The heightened tension follows a brutal crackdown on protests that erupted on December 28 due to the collapse of the Iranian rial. The demonstrations were met with mass arrests and killings.

According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, the death toll has reached 5,459, with over 40,800 arrests. Iran reports 3,117 deaths, including 2,427 civilians and security forces, with the remainder labelled “terrorists.” A nationwide internet blackout lasting over two weeks—the most extensive in Iran’s history—has complicated independent verification.

Meanwhile, the US has increased its military presence in the Middle East, deploying F-15E Strike Eagles to enhance combat readiness and regional stability. The UK also deployed Typhoon fighter jets to Qatar in a defensive role.

Trump has threatened military action if Iran continues executing protesters, though Tehran has disputed claims of halted executions. The scale of violence and unrest is the deadliest in decades, rivaling the chaos of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, highlighting the fragile state of US-Iran relations amid domestic turmoil and international tension.