Iran threatens to strike US bases in region if attacked by Washington - Reuters
Iranian authorities have warned US allies in the Middle East that they are prepared to strike American military bases in the event of an attack by Washington.
This was reported by Reuters, citing a senior Iranian official, according to Censor.NET.
According to him, Tehran appealed to countries in the region to "prevent Washington from attacking Iran" after US President Donald Trump threatened to intervene in support of the protesters.
"Tehran has informed countries in the region, from Saudi Arabia and the UAE to Turkey, that US bases in these countries will be attacked" if the US targets Iran, the official said.
Number of fatalities
At the same time, according to the human rights organization, the death toll from the unrest in Iran has risen to nearly 2,600. The Islamic authorities are trying to suppress nationwide protests, which have become one of the greatest threats to the regime since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Also, according to Reuters' source, direct contacts between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arakchi and US Special Representative Steve Witkoff have been suspended, indicating further escalation of tensions.
Protests in Iran
According to updated estimates by human rights activists, the number of people killed as a result of the repression could reach around 12,000. The protests have been going on for more than two weeks, and the true scale of the casualties remains unknown due to the authorities' concealment of information.
Against this backdrop, US President Donald Trump publicly called on Iranians not to stop protesting and said that aid for the protesters was "on its way." He also noted that the actions of the Iranian authorities were approaching his "red line."
According to Western media reports, the White House is discussing various scenarios for putting pressure on Tehran. At the same time, no final decisions on possible military action have been made yet.
Mass protests in Iran began on December 28 after a sharp drop in the Iranian rial exchange rate, which led to rapid price increases and social discontent among the population.
- US leader Donald Trump called the protesters patriots and urged them to "keep protesting and take over your institutions."
- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that the world is witnessing the last days of the regime in Iran.
