Tensions are rising dangerously as he openly warns that he will respond militarily to a potential first strike by , threatening US bases, sea lanes and the .
The statements by the Iranian leadership come as scenarios of targeted attacks on Iranian military installations are being considered in Washington, amid escalating anti-government protests inside the country and growing fears of wider destabilization in the region.
In particular, Iran will attack US military bases in the Middle East if the US strikes first, the speaker of Iran’s parliament said on Sunday, following reports that the Trump administration was considering options to strike Iranian military targets.
Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf also threatened that Iran would hit the shipping lanes in the Middle East, as well as Israel. The US maintains air and naval bases in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar.
Last June, Iran hit the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar after the US launched massive bombings of Iranian nuclear facilities.
Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene in Iran if the authorities proceed with a bloody crackdown on the protesters. That has led U.S. officials to consider possible strikes against Iranian military facilities, the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday. According to the same officials, no immediate military action is imminent.
Ghalibaf also left open the possibility of a preemptive strike, .
As Speaker of the House, Ghalibaf is third in the hierarchy of the Iranian regime, after the Supreme Leader – who has the final say on domestic and foreign policy – and the country’s president. He is also a former commander of the Revolutionary Guards and maintains the support of this paramilitary force.
ALL EYES ON IRAN 🦁
— Nima Yamini (@NimaYamini)
The death toll is rising
Authorities have stepped up efforts to quell the unrest that has been spreading across the country since December 28. The US-based HRANA organization reports that the dead amount to 116, mostly protesters, but also 37 members of the security forces.
The protests began in response to runaway inflation before turning against the theocratic establishment that has ruled the country since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. The Iranian government accuses the US and Israel of fomenting the unrest.
Three Israeli sources who participated in security consultations over the weekend told Reuters that, without giving further details.
An Israeli government spokesman declined to comment, while the Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Israel and Iran engaged in a 12-day war in June last year, during which the US took part in airstrikes on Israel’s side. Iran then responded by firing missiles at a US base in Qatar.
The flow of information from Iran has been severely restricted due to an internet blackout imposed by the authorities since Thursday. Netblocks reported that national connectivity remains at around 1% of normal levels.
Video posted on social media on Saturday showed large crowds gathering at night in Tehran’s Punak district, rhythmically banging the railings of a bridge or other metal objects in protest.
State television broadcast footage of funerals for members of the security forces in western Iranian cities such as Gahsaran and Yasuz. The authorities have not officially announced the total number of dead.
According to state television, 30 members of the security forces are to be buried in the central city of Isfahan, while six were killed by “rioters” in Kermanshah. It was also reported that a mosque in Mashhad was set on fire by “rioters” on Saturday night.
The Revolutionary Guards on Saturday blamed “terrorists” for attacks on security facilities. Iran’s police chief, Ahmad-Reza Radan, said security forces had stepped up operations against “rioters”.
The Iranian regime has cracked down on waves of protests in the past, most recently in 2022, after a woman died in custody for violating dress codes.
“endurance game”
Trump wrote on social media on Saturday: “.
In a phone call on Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the possibility of US intervention in Iran, according to an Israeli source present for the conversation.
A US official confirmed the conversation took place, without disclosing its content.
A senior US intelligence official called the situation in Iran an “endurance game”. He said the opposition is trying to keep up the pressure until top regime figures flee or defect, while authorities seek to sow enough fear to empty the streets without giving the US a reason to intervene.
Israel has shown no intention of immediate involvement, although tensions remain high over Tel Aviv’s concerns about Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
In an interview with the Economist published on Friday, Netanyahu warned that there would be “horrible consequences” for Iran if Israel were to be attacked, adding, referring to the protests: “For everything else, I think we have to see what’s happening inside Iran.”
