Iran's top general has warned that his country's response to "the slightest mistake" by the United States would set off a regional war, according to the official news agency IRNA on Monday. Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Abdolrahim Mousavi made the remarks during a visit to a military unit on Sunday night in response to a U.

Tensions have continued to rise between the two nations after the Iranian regime’s brutal crackdown on nationwide protests left thousands dead.

For nearly half a century, Iran has prepared for a war with the United States. Unable to match America’s military power, Tehran has instead focused on ways to impose heavy costs that could shake the Middle East and the global economy.

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that a “massive Armada is heading to Iran,” referring to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and several other naval ships that have recently taken positions in the region,

According to federal prosecutors, Carlisle Rivera took part in a failed Iran-backed murder-for-hire plot against Masih Alinejad, an Iranian dissident.

Even with US forces poised to strike Iran, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told CNN that he was “confident that we can achieve a deal” on Tehran’s nuclear program.

The United States maintains tens of thousands of troops and major military facilities across the region, all operating under US Central Command, also known as Centcom.