Tehran [Iran] / Washington [US], January 12: Iran has threatened Israel and the United States with counter strikes in the event of a US attack in support of the nationwide protest movement against the authoritarian state leadership.
Any US attack would lead to strikes on Israel and regional US military bases as "legitimate targets," Iranian parliamentary spokesman Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told the Arabic broadcaster Al Araby, according to a Sunday post on X.
Ghalibaf accused the protest movement of wanting to create the basis for a US military intervention.
However, he said on the Iranian channel Press TV on Sunday that the "enemies" must know that the defenders of the country would destroy them.
The politician described the mass demonstrations as a terrorist war against the country orchestrated by the US. Participants in "terrorist acts" would be pursued with violence, and those arrested during the unrest would be punished, Ghalibaf said.
US President Donald Trump had shortly before assured participants in the ongoing mass protests in Iran of his support.
"Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before," he said.
"The USA stands ready to help!!!" Trump wrote on his platform, Truth Social. How this help will manifest is unclear. Citing US officials, the New York Times reported that Trump had been briefed in recent days on new options for military strikes in Iran.
He is seriously considering making good on his threat to attack the country due to the suppression of the protests, the newspaper reported.
The Israeli military later responded to the threat: "We will be equipped to respond with power if need be." It said it was "monitoring developments in Iran," but that "the protests are an internal Iranian matter."
According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), the number of people killed in the mass protests that have been ongoing for two weeks has risen to 116, and more than 2,600 additional people have been arrested.
Despite an almost complete internet blackout, now in its fourth day according to internet monitor NetBlocks, HRANA said there have been demonstrations in 185 cities across the country.
Reza Pahlavi, the son of the shah who was overthrown in the 1979 Islamic Revolution and who is in exile in the US, called for nationwide strikes in Iran and for additional protests on Sunday at 6pm (1430 GMT) to occupy and hold central squares in cities.
Mass protests continued on Sunday despite a rising death toll from a state crackdown, threats from the security apparatus and an almost complete internet blackout.
According to activists, the demonstrations have spread to 185 cities. At least 192 people have been killed, the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) organization reported.
The actual number of fatalities could be much higher, as communication with the outside world is severely restricted due to internet blackouts and blocked phone lines.
Source: Qatar Tribune
