Iran has threatened to hit US military targets if Donald Trump launches strikes over the country’s growing protests.
The US president warned the ayatollah’s regime this week that the United States would “hit them hard” if protesters were killed, and is understood to be weighing up options for action within days.
Hundreds of people have now been killed on Iran’s streets as nationwide protests in 185 cities across all 31 provinces calling for an end to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s rule continue to grow.
But as international pressure on Iran mounts, Tehran escalated the crisis on Sunday by claiming it was ready to launch preemptive strikes against Israeli and US bases in the region.
“In the event of an attack on Iran, both the occupied territory and all American military centres, bases and ships in the region will be our legitimate targets,” parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said.
In the UK, the government praised the bravery of the protesters as calls grew for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) to be prescribed.
“It takes real courage to speak up in an authoritarian system, especially for young women, but it should not require courage just to make your voice heard,” said foreign secretary Yvette Cooper. “These are fundamental rights: free speech; peaceful assembly; and the exercise of those rights should never come with the threat of violence or reprisals.”
Support is growing for a transition to be forced in Iran from the fundamentalist regime which has run the country since the fall of the Shah in 1979. Already discussions appear to be underway over who should be installed to replace the regime with the late Shah’s heir Reza Pahlavi – often referred to as the Baby Shah – being touted as a possible frontrunner.
The protests started in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar over failing economic policies in late December, before spreading to universities and other cities.
Trump offered support for the protesters in a post on social media over the weekend that “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!”
The president will be given multiple options to help deal with the crisis during a briefing on Tuesday, from sanctions to military strikes, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The US State Department also issued a statement warning Iran’s leadership “not to play games” with Trump, adding “when he says he’ll do something, he means it”.
In Iran the death toll continues to rise as protests against the regime grind on. US-based rights group HRANA (Human Rights Activists News Agency) reported the number of casualties had soared to as high as 466 on Sunday, with more than 10,000 arrested. However, human rights organisations cautioned that an ongoing blackout is making it tricky to verify and record deaths properly.
The Independent has seen video that includes the sound of continuous gunfirem while eyewitness accounts shared with activists’ Twitter accounts via Starlink describe widespread slaughter.
One person, reportedly speaking from the Narmak neighbourhood in the north-east of the capital, said the regime opened fire into crowds.
“I saw all the streets covered in bloodstains. They were washing the blood of this country’s children off the asphalt with high-pressure water after massacring them. There were bloodstains on all the city streets,” the unnamed person said.
Another added that mobile and landline calls are not working and that the regime is sending texts warning citizens not to leave their homes because “armed terrorists are out”. Shops are empty and food is running out.
In the west of Iran on Thursday, the last time most areas had mobile network access, one man told The Independent that fuel was also scarce: “The situation is terrible, but everyone is optimistic that the regime will fall.”
With Iran once again threatening action against Israel, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu called top advisers and ministers together for a preliminary security consultation on Sunday.
The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) was said to be staying operationally prepared to respond if needed amid fears of a widening crisis in the Middle East, but was treating the anti-regime protests as an internal Iranian affair for now.
In the UK, the government faced calls to proscribe the IRGC as thousands took to the streets in London in a demonstration supporting regime change.
Laila Jazayeri, director of the Association of Anglo-Iranian Women in the UK, said the IRGC had already gone too far.
Speaking at the demonstration on Sunday, she said: “The prime minister should prescribe the deadly force IRGC, that is killing people inside Iran.”
Cabinet minister Heidi Alexander said the British government has always viewed Iran as a hostile state and was looking at the situation, while holding out hope an alternative solution to force could still be reached.
“It’s a concerning situation there and we would like to see anything that happens in future involving a peaceful transition where people can enjoy fundamental freedoms and we see proper democratic values back in the heart of Iran.”
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said it would be right for the US to help oust the Islamic Republic’s leadership and indicated she would support RAF involvement if necessary.
She told BBC One’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “You’ve seen the recent RAF strikes, for instance, in Syria. Without over speculating – we are talking about hypothetical situations – we have worked in alliance with other countries.
“I think this has to be something that we do with a broad coalition of countries. That is the right way to do it, and to make sure that we create a stable Iran.”
She said Iran would “very happily wipe out the UK if it felt it could get away with it” and “I don’t have an issue with removing a regime that is trying to harm us”.
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