Reuters reported that Tehran warned on Sunday it would retaliate against Israel and U.S. military bases if Washington launches strikes on Iran, as Israeli sources said Israel was on high alert amid the possibility of U.S. intervention.
The warning comes as Iran’s clerical leadership faces its most serious wave of anti-government protests since 2022. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly raised the prospect of involvement in recent days, cautioning Iranian leaders against using force on demonstrators. Trump, in a social media post on Saturday, wrote: “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!”
Speaking in parliament on Sunday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned against what he called “a miscalculation” by Iran’s adversaries. “Let us be clear: in the case of an attack on Iran, the occupied territories (Israel) as well as all U.S. bases and ships will be our legitimate target,” said Qalibaf, a former commander of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards.
Authorities have intensified efforts to suppress unrest that has spread nationwide since Dec. 28. A U.S.-based rights group, HRANA, said the death toll had risen to 116, mostly protesters, but also including 37 members of the security forces.
The protests initially triggered by soaring inflation evolved into broader opposition to the clerical establishment with the government accusing the United States and Israel of stoking the unrest.
sources: ISW, CTP, Iran Human Rights, CNN
Information from inside Iran has been increasingly difficult to verify after authorities imposed an internet blackout on Thursday. Internet monitoring group Netblocks said national connectivity remained at about 1% of normal levels.
A video posted on social media on Saturday showed large crowds gathered at night in Tehran’s Punak neighborhood, rhythmically banging on bridge railings and other metal objects in what appeared to be a form of protest. Reuters verified the location of the footage.
Iranian State TV said 30 security personnel would be buried in the central city of Isfahan, while six were killed by what it called “rioters” in the western city of Kermanshah. It also reported that a mosque was set ablaze by “rioters” in Mashhad in the northeast on Saturday night.
The Revolutionary Guards accused “terrorists” of attacking security facilities, while police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said forces had stepped up operations against what he described as “rioters.”
An Israeli source said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the possibility of U.S. intervention during a phone call on Saturday. A U.S. official confirmed the call took place but declined to say what was discussed.
