Iran Warns It Will Hit Israel and US Targets if Washington Strikes
By The Media Line Staff
US President Donald Trump is weighing potential military action against Iran as nationwide protests driven by economic anger and broader opposition to clerical rule continue, prompting Tehran to warn on Sunday that any US strike would trigger retaliation against Israel and American forces across the region. Israeli officials, facing the prospect of spillover after last June’s 12-day Israel-Iran war, have placed the country on heightened alert while Washington reviews options and risks.
Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, delivered the starkest public threat, saying, “Let us be clear: in the case of an attack on Iran, the occupied territories [Israel] as well as all US bases and ships will be our legitimate target.” In separate remarks broadcast on state television, he warned the United States against “a miscalculation.”
In Washington, the American president has publicly linked possible US action to the regime’s use of lethal force. “I’ve made the statement very strongly that if they start killing people like they have in the past, we will get involved,” President Trump told reporters. “We’ll be hitting them very hard where it hurts. And that doesn’t mean boots on the ground, but it means hitting them very, very hard where it hurts. So we don’t want that to happen.” On social media, President Trump wrote, “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!”
US officials have described internal deliberations as contingency planning, with some options reportedly focusing on Iranian security forces tied to violence against protesters. US planners have also weighed the danger that strikes could rally public support around the government or spark retaliation against US personnel and facilities.
The uncertain scale of the crackdown has become a central variable in the crisis. Different rights monitors are publishing sharply divergent death tolls, reflecting the difficulty of verification under internet and communications shutdowns. The Human Rights Activists News Agency, a widely cited Iran-focused monitor, has reported at least 116 people killed. Reuters has cited human rights group estimates of at least 50 protesters and 15 members of the security forces killed. Iran Human Rights has reported at least 51 protesters killed in an early phase of the unrest while warning that its figure is incomplete pending verification.
Iran’s leadership has signaled it will not bend. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, “All should know that the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was established with the sacrifice of several hundred thousand honorable people, won’t back down in the face of those causing destruction.” Authorities have tightened the screws through arrests and legal threats. Police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said, “Last night, significant arrests were made of the main elements in the riots, who, God willing, will be punished after going through legal procedures.” Prosecutor-General Mohammad Movahedi Azad called for prosecutions “without leniency, mercy or appeasement,” warning that “all criminals involved” would be treated as an “enemy of God,” a charge that can carry the death penalty. Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani said, “We were going to put down fires, and they were attacking our fire vehicles and trucks,” adding, “They wanted to create chaos in the city and project a false perception to our enemies.”
Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam of the Iran Human Rights Center said, “The situation is extremely worrisome; this regime has always prioritized its survival over all else, and it will do so again, at the cost of people’s lives.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly backed demonstrators, writing, “The United States supports the brave people of Iran.” He also spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to people familiar with the call. Netanyahu, in an interview, warned that there would be “horrible consequences” if Iran attacked Israel.
Exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi urged continued protests, saying, “By your widespread and courageous presence in the streets across Iran for the third consecutive night, you have severely weakened Khamenei’s repressive apparatus and his regime,” and later, “Do not abandon the streets. My heart is with you. I know that I will soon be by your side,” while also noting that President Trump “has declared that he is ready to help you.”
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