Iran on Sunday unveiled a new mural in a central Tehran Square on Sunday displayed on a giant billboard, issuing a direct warning to the US not to attempt a military strike on the country, as American warships neared the region.
The mural in Enghelab Square shows a bird’s-eye view of an aircraft craft with damaged and exploding fighter planes on its flight deck. The explosions of the fighter jets are seen in star shapes. The deck is scattered with bodies and blood, which is seen overflowing into the water, mimicking the stripe patterns on the American national flag. Follow live updates on Iran-US tensions
A warning slogan is written on one side of the mural: “If you sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind.”
The central Tehran square is often used for state-organised gatherings, and authorities change the mural based on national occasions. The commander of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard warned on Saturday that his force is “more ready than ever, finger on the trigger”.
The mural in Enghelab Square comes as the American aircraft carrier, USS Abraham Lincoln, and accompanying warships moved toward the region. The carrier arrived in the Middle East on Sunday evening and is near Iran, reported Israel’s Channel 13.
The report also mentioned that a ship carrying systems designed for missile defence is approaching Israel as part of efforts to strengthen defences.
The latest warning from Iran comes after US President Donald Trump said that “a lot of ships” were going in Tehran’s direction, adding that there was a “big flotilla” and a “big force” going towards the country.
He told reporters aboard Air Force One, while returning from the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland, “We’ll see what happens”.
“I’d rather not see anything happen, but we are watching them very closely,” Trump warned.
Trump reiterated his threat of striking Iran and said that he had made it clear that if the nation went through with this, then Iran would be ‘hit’ by the US. He added that it would make the strikes on the nuclear facilities look like ‘peanuts’.
Before this, in an interview with News Nation, Trump had warned Iran that the “whole country is going to get blown up” if the unrest continues.
He responded to Iran’s ‘all-out war’ warning and said, “I’ve left notification, anything ever happens…the whole country is going to get blown up.”
“If anything happens, we’re going to wipe them off the face of the earth,’ Trump added.
Tensions between the US and Iran escalated in the wake of the violent crackdown on protestors in Tehran that left thousands dead. Trump had earlier as well threatened military action if Iran continued to kill peaceful protestors or carried out mass executions of those detained.
According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, the death toll so far stands at 5.848, with the number expected to further increase. It added that over 41,280 people have been arrested.
Additionally, classified documents reviewed by Iran International revealed that more than 36,500 Iranians were killed in the January 8-9 crackdown on protests in the country.
