Iran has warned its regional neighbors that if the US attacks, every US military base in countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Turkey will be targeted for retaliatory strikes.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters that he had asked the countries mentioned to prevent Washington from attacking.
According to the human rights organization HRANA, the unrest in Iran has claimed the lives of more than 2,400 protesters and 147 people linked to the government. The number of arrests has reached more than 18,000. Iranian authorities claim they are facing terrorist attacks and blame the United States and Israel for inciting violence.
President Trump has said that if Iran begins executing protesters, the US will respond. "If they hang them, you'll see some things," he said in an interview with CBS News on Tuesday.
Israel has already issued a warning
The White House chief also called on Iranians to continue their protests and "take control of the institutions," hinting that help is on the way — without specifying what he meant. He later commented that military action is "one of the options."
Israeli sources claim that Trump has already decided to intervene, although the scope and timing of the action are unclear. According to sources, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has briefed the security cabinet on possible scenarios in Iran, including the collapse of the regime and the possibility of US intervention in Iran – the arch-enemy with whom they fought a 12-day war last year.
In an effort to prevent escalation, Iran has reopened diplomatic channels with countries such as Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Turkey. Tehran claims that the situation is stabilizing and calls on the region not to allow Washington to drag it into conflict.
Import sanctions
On Tuesday, Russia condemned "subversive external interference" in Iran's internal politics and said that any repeat of last year's US attacks would have "catastrophic consequences" for the Middle East and international security.
However, Trump had previously announced 25% tariffs on products from any country that trades with Iran, a major oil exporter. The US State Department also called on its citizens to leave Iran immediately, including by land via Turkey or Armenia.
Domestically, the regime is trying to demonstrate its power – pro-government rallies were held on Monday and state media reported the funerals of more than 100 victims of the unrest. Iran's chief justice called for swift and harsh punishments for those who "beheaded or burned people."
Tensions are also heightened by the issue of access to information – the country is facing internet outages. The Holistic Resilience organization has announced that Elon Musk's Starlink service is currently available for free in Iran.
(reuters, max)