Iran Warned Regional States Of Strikes On U.S. Bases If Attacked, Official Says

DUBAI, Jan 14 (Reuters) – Tehran has warned U.S. allies in the Middle East that it will strike U.S. bases on its soil if Washington attacks Iran, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday, after President Donald Trump threatened to intervene in support of protesters.

The death toll from unrest in Iran has risen to almost 2,600, a human rights group said, as clerics tried to suppress nationwide protests that pose one of the biggest challenges to their rule since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

An Israeli official said that in Israel’s assessment, Trump had decided to intervene, but the scope and timing of this action remained unclear.

The Iranian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Tehran asked US allies in the region to “prevent Washington from attacking Iran”.

“Tehran has told countries in the region, from Saudi Arabia and the UAE to Türkiye, that if the US targets Iran, US bases in these countries will be attacked,” the official said.

Direct contacts between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff have been suspended due to rising tensions, the official added.

A second Israeli source, a government official, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet was briefed late Tuesday about the possibility of regime collapse or U.S. intervention in arch-enemy Iran, with which Israel fought a 12-day war last year.

In an interview with CBS News on Tuesday, Trump promised “very strong action” if Iran executes protesters. “If they hang them, you’re going to see some things,” he said. He also called on Iranians on Tuesday to continue protests and seize institutions, saying “help is on the way” but providing no details.

The United States has forces throughout the region, including in Bahrain, home to the headquarters of U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet, and Qatar, home to Al Udeid Air Base, the forward headquarters of U.S. Central Command.

Iran fired missiles at Al Udeid last year in retaliation for US airstrikes on its nuclear facilities.

Iranian state media reported that Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s top security body, met with Qatar’s foreign minister and Araqchi met with his Emirati and Turkish counterparts. All of these countries are allies of the USA.

Araqchi told UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed that “calm has prevailed” and that Iranians are determined to protect their sovereignty and security against any external interference, state media reported.

The flow of information from Iran was disrupted due to an internet outage.

US-based rights group HRANA said it had confirmed the deaths of 2,403 protesters and 147 government loyalists so far. An Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday that around 2,000 people were killed.

Iranian officials accused the United States and Israel of inciting the unrest and directed the violence at people they called terrorists, who attacked security forces, mosques and public property.

Iran’s chief judge, who visited the Tehran prison where arrested protesters are being held, said the speed of prosecuting and punishing “those who behead or burn people” is critical to ensuring such incidents do not happen again.

HRANA reported that 18,137 people have been arrested so far.

State television reported that a funeral ceremony will be held in Tehran on Wednesday for more than 100 civilians and security personnel who lost their lives in the incidents.

Iranian Kurdish rights group Hengaw reported that 26-year-old Erfan Soltani, who was arrested in connection with protests in the city of Karaj, will be executed on Wednesday.

Hengaw told Reuters on Wednesday that he could not confirm whether Soltani’s sentence had been carried out due to internet and communications being cut off. Reuters could not independently verify the report.

Pro-government rallies were held in Iran on Monday; these rallies were a display of loyal support for Iran’s religious establishment. So far, there have been no signs of a break in the security forces, which have suppressed other protests for years.

While Iranian authorities have weathered previous protests, the latest unrest comes as Tehran is still recovering from last year’s war and its regional position has been weakened by crackdowns on allies such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah since the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Asked what he meant by “help is on the way,” Trump told reporters Tuesday they needed to figure it out. Trump said military intervention to punish Iran for its pressure was among the options he was considering.

“The killing appears to be significant, but we don’t know for sure yet,” Trump said when he returned to the Washington area from Detroit, adding that he would know more after receiving a report Tuesday evening.

Trump announced Monday that he would impose a 25% import tax on products from any country doing business with Iran, a major oil exporter.

The U.S. State Department on Tuesday urged American citizens to leave Iran immediately, including by land via Türkiye or Armenia.

(Reporting by Elwely Elwelly and Dubai newsroom, Bo Erickson in Detroit, Susan Heavey, Joey Roulette and Doina Chiacu in Washington, Michelle Nichols in the United Nations, Bhargav Acharya in Toronto Writing by Tom Perry Editing by Peter Graff)