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Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, Iran’s army deputy coordinator, dismissed the presence of US aircraft carriers in the region, saying Tehran was unfazed by such displays of force and warned that any confrontation would be costly.
Speaking on Wednesday, Sayyari said it made “no difference whether the threat comes from land, sea or air,” adding that any US “adventurism” would carry “heavy costs for the enemy,” according to Iranian state-linked media.
He described the US naval buildup as an attempt to intimidate rivals through what he called long-standing “gunboat diplomacy,” arguing that deploying large warships was meant to create fear rather than reflect real strength.
Sayyari said Iran was prepared to respond if necessary, insisting that American forces would also suffer serious damage in the event of an escalation.
A senior commander in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards dismissed US talk of naval deployments toward the region, saying Tehran was not intimidated by Washington’s rhetoric.
Ahmad Vahidi, the IRGC’s deputy commander-in-chief, said Iran was “not afraid of words,” adding that statements by US officials reflected “the depth of America’s internal problems,” according to state media.
His comments came after US President Donald Trump said “another armada” of US naval forces was moving toward Iran, while urging Tehran to reach a deal with Washington.
Turkey’s foreign minister said a US attack on Iran would be “wrong” and urged Washington and Tehran to pursue diplomacy despite rising military tensions.
“It’s wrong to start the war again,” Hakan Fidan told Al Jazeera, adding that Iran was “ready to negotiate” and calling for step-by-step engagement.
“My advice always to the American friends: close the files one by one with Iranians. Start with nuclear, close it, then the other, then the other,” he said.
“If you put them as a package all of them, it will be very difficult for our Iranian friends to digest,” Fidan added. “It sometimes might seem humiliating for them. It will be very difficult to explain to not only themselves, but also to the leadership.”
“I have not had any contact with Mr. Witkoff in recent days, and we have not requested negotiations,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday, according to state media.
Araghchi was responding to questions about possible message exchanges with Washington, denying reports of direct outreach to US special envoy Steve Witkoff.
He added, however, that intermediaries remain active and that Tehran is in contact with mediating countries “holding consultations,” signaling that indirect channels are still in play even as Iran publicly plays down prospects for talks.
The United States has deported three former members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said in a post on X.
“Foreign terrorist organizers are NOT welcome in our country,” ICE wrote, announcing that Ehsan Khaledi, Mohammad Mehrani and Morteza Nasirikakolaki were returned to Iran over the weekend.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) identified the three men as former IRGC members and said they were among 14 Iranian nationals on a deportation flight to Tehran, the first such flight since widespread anti-government protests in Iran were met with a deadly crackdown.
According to DHS, Mehrani and Khaledi entered the United States illegally in Southern California in 2024, while Nasirikakolaki entered illegally in November 2024 and was apprehended by Border Patrol near San Luis, Arizona. The White House said all individuals deported had final removal orders issued by a federal judge.
The IRGC is Iran’s elite military force, separate from the regular army and reporting directly to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The United States designated the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization in 2019, citing its role in supporting militant groups and carrying out operations targeting US interests and allies.
The deportations come amid sharply rising tensions between Washington and Tehran, as the Trump administration has signaled it is prepared to use military force if Iran continues executions and violent repression linked to nationwide protests. The United States has also stepped up its military presence in the region in recent weeks.
