Iran Revolutionary Guard commander says regime has 'finger on the trigger' as US warships head to Middle East

"The Islamic Revolutionary Guard and dear Iran stand more ready than ever, finger on the trigger, to execute the orders and directives of the Commander-in-Chief," IRGC chief Gen. Mohammad Pakpour said, The Associated Press reported, citing Nournews, a news outlet close to Iran's Supreme National Security Council.

Pakpour also reportedly warned the U.S. and Israel "to avoid any miscalculation," according to the AP. This warning comes after another last week from an Iranian ambassador who said that the U.S. and Israel were responsible for "political destabilization, internal unrest and chaos."

"Trump knows that if any hand of aggression is extended toward our leader, we not only cut that hand, but also we will set fire to their world," Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesman for Iran's armed forces, said, according to the AP.

On Thursday, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he was moving warships toward Iran "just in case" he wants to take action.

"We have a massive fleet heading in that direction and maybe we won't have to use it," Trump said, the AP reported.

A U.S. Navy official told the AP that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and other warships traveling with it were in the Indian Ocean.

Anti-regime protests started on Dec. 28 as Iranians took to the streets to voice their displeasure with the economic woes facing the country, which has become more isolated internationally. Since then, despite an internet blackout, reports of violence against protesters have emerged.

When the protests began, Trump warned the regime that the U.S. was "locked and loaded" and ready to act if it used violence against protesters.

On Wednesday, the Iranian government offered its first death toll, saying that 3,117 people had been killed. It said 2,427 were civilians and security forces, and labeled the rest as "terrorists," according to the AP.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.