Iran unveils mural warning of retaliation if US conducts a military strike

Iranian authorities on Sunday unveiled a stark new mural in Tehran’s Enghelab Square that directly warns the United States against military action, as American naval forces head toward the region amid escalating tensions.

The provocative artwork depicts an aircraft carrier with damaged fighter planes exploding across its flight deck, bodies strewn about, and blood trailing into the water in a pattern resembling the American flag’s stripes. The mural bears an ominous message: “If you sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind.”

The timing coincides with the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and its accompanying warships to the Middle East. President Donald Trump stated the naval forces are being moved “just in case” he decides to take military action. “We have a massive fleet heading in that direction and maybe we won’t have to use it,” Trump said on Thursday.

Enghelab Square, frequently used for state-sanctioned gatherings, regularly features murals that change based on national occasions. The new imagery appears as Iran’s Revolutionary Guard commander recently declared that his forces are “more ready than ever, finger on the trigger.”

Tensions between Washington and Tehran have intensified following Iran’s brutal suppression of nationwide protests that, according to activists, resulted in thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of arrests. Trump had previously threatened military intervention if Iran continued killing peaceful protesters or conducted mass executions of detainees.

While protests have subsided in recent days, the situation remains volatile. Trump claimed that Tehran had halted plans to execute approximately 800 arrested protesters—an assertion Iran’s top prosecutor dismissed as “completely false.”

The U.S. president has maintained that military options remain on the table, suggesting that any new action would make last June’s American strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities “look like peanuts” by comparison.

U.S. Central Command recently announced on social media that F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets have established a presence in the Middle East, noting the aircraft “enhances combat readiness and promotes regional security and stability.” In a parallel move, the U.K. Ministry of Defense reported the deployment of Typhoon fighter jets to Qatar “in a defensive capacity.”

The protests that sparked the current crisis began on December 28, triggered by the collapse of Iran’s currency, the rial. The demonstrations quickly spread throughout the country before facing a violent crackdown by Iran’s theocratic government, which historically has shown little tolerance for dissent.

Information about casualties has emerged slowly, hampered by what observers called the most comprehensive internet blackout in Iran’s history, which lasted more than two weeks. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency now estimates the death toll at 5,848, with expectations that this figure will increase. The organization also reports more than 41,280 people have been arrested.

These figures, compiled through a network of activists within Iran, would represent the deadliest period of unrest in the country since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The Associated Press has not independently verified these numbers.

Iran’s government presents a markedly different account, reporting 3,117 deaths—classifying 2,427 as civilians and security forces, and labeling the remainder as “terrorists.” Historically, Iran’s leadership has been known to underreport casualty figures from internal unrest.

The visual warning in central Tehran, combined with military posturing from both sides, signals a dangerous new phase in U.S.-Iran relations that threatens to further destabilize a region already plagued by conflict and uncertainty.