Iran threatens to hit US military targets if Trump decides to strike over protests
Iran has threatened to hit US military targets if Donald Trump launches an attack against the growing protests in the country.
The US president this week warned the Ayatollah’s regime that the US would “hit them hard” if protesters were killed, and is understood to be weighing options for action within days.
Hundreds of people have been killed on the streets of Iran as nationwide protests calling for an end to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s rule continue to grow in 185 cities in all 31 provinces.
But as international pressure on Iran mounts, Tehran escalated the crisis on Sunday by claiming it was ready to launch pre-emptive strikes on Israeli and US bases in the region.
Parliament Speaker Mohammed Bager Qalibaf said, “In case of an attack on Iran, both the occupied territories and all American military centers, bases and ships in the region will be our legitimate targets.”
In the UK, the government praised the bravery of protesters as calls grew for the deployment of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC).
“It takes real courage to speak up, especially for young women in an authoritarian system, but it shouldn’t take courage just to have your voice heard,” Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said. “These are fundamental rights: freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and the exercise of these rights must never come with the threat of violence or retaliation.”
Support is growing in Iran for a forced transition from the fundamentalist regime that has ruled the country since the overthrow of the Shah in 1979. Debates already appear to be ongoing over who should replace the regime, with the late Shah’s heir Reza Pahlavi (often referred to as Baby Shah) being touted as a possible frontrunner.
Protests began in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar in late December over failed economic policies, then spread to universities and other cities.
“Iran is looking at FREEDOM perhaps like never before. USA is ready to help!!!” Trump said on social media over the weekend. He supported the protesters with a post saying:
During a briefing on Tuesday, the president will be presented with options ranging from sanctions to military strikes to help deal with the crisis, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The US State Department also issued a statement warning the Iranian administration not to “play games” with Trump, adding that “when he says he will do something, he means it.”
As protests against the regime continue in Iran, the death toll continues to rise. US-based human rights group HRANA (Human Rights Activists News Agency) reported that the death toll rose to 466 on Sunday and more than 10,000 people were arrested. But human rights groups warned that the ongoing power outage made it difficult to verify and record deaths.
Independent Eyewitness accounts shared via Starlink to activists’ Twitter accounts described the widespread carnage, while video showed sustained gunfire.
It was reported that a person speaking from the Narmak neighborhood in the northeast of the capital said that the regime opened fire on the crowd.
An unnamed person said, “I saw that all the streets were covered with blood stains. After massacring the children of this country, they were washing their blood from the asphalt with high pressure water. There were blood stains on all the streets of the city.”
Another added that cellphone and landline calls were not working and that the regime was sending messages to citizens warning them not to leave their homes because “armed terrorists are out there.” Shops are empty, food is running out.
On Thursday, a man in western Iran, where mobile network access was available in most areas, told The Independent that fuel was also scarce: “The situation is terrible but everyone is optimistic that the regime will fall.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called together top advisers and ministers for preliminary security consultations as Iran once again threatens action against Israel.
The Israel Defense Force (IDF) was said to be operationally ready to respond if needed amid fears of a widening crisis in the Middle East, but was treating anti-regime protests as Iran’s internal matter for now.
In the UK, the government faced calls to ban the Revolutionary Guard as thousands took to the streets in London for a demonstration supporting regime change.
Laila Jazayeri, Director of the British-Iranian Women’s Association in the UK, said the IRGC had already gone too far.
Speaking at the demonstration on Sunday, she said: “The prime minister should prescribe the deadly force IRGC, that is killing people inside Iran.”
Cabinet minister Heidi Alexander said the British government had always viewed Iran as a hostile state and was looking at the situation, but held out hope that an alternative solution to force could still be reached.
“There is a worrying situation there, and we want to see things happen in the future, including a peaceful transition where people can enjoy basic freedoms and where we can see proper democratic values in the heart of Iran.”
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said it would be right for the US to help topple the Islamic Republic’s leadership and indicated he would support RAF involvement if necessary.
He told BBC One’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: “You’ve seen, for example, the recent RAF attacks in Syria. “Without excessive speculation – we’re talking hypothetical situations – we have worked in alliance with other countries.
“I think this is something we need to do with a broad coalition of countries. This is the right way to do this and make sure we create a stable Iran.”
He said Iran would “gladly destroy Britain if it felt it could get away with it” and that “I have no problem eliminating a regime that is trying to harm us”.
