Iranian Parliament Speaker has warned the United States and Israel of retaliatory strikes if Washington attacks the country.
Speaking in parliament on Sunday after threats of military strikes by US President Donald Trump if Iranian authorities kill protesters, Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned the US against “a miscalculation.”
Qalibaf, a former Commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps went on to directly threaten Israel, “the occupied territory” as he referred to it, and the US military, possibly with a preemptive strike.
“Let us be clear: in the event of an attack on Iran, both the occupied territory and all American military centers, bases and ships in the region will be our legitimate targets.
“We do not consider ourselves limited to reacting after the action and will act based on any objective signs of a threat.”
Baqer Qalibaf
Qalibaf, a hard-liner who has run for the presidency in the past, gave a speech applauding police and Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, particularly its all-volunteer Basij, for having “stood firm” during the protests.
“The people of Iran should know that we will deal with them in the most severe way and punish those who are arrested.”
Baqer Qalibaf
It remains unclear just how serious Iran is about launching a strike, particularly after seeing its air defenses destroyed during the 12-day war in June with Israel.
Any decision to go to war would rest with Iran’s 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Qalibaf ‘s speech came as Iranian authorities step up efforts to quell the country’s largest protests in years, which have seen thousands of people take to the streets in anger over the soaring cost of living and inflation.
The nationwide protests crossed the two-week, entering its third week today as violence surrounding the demonstrations has killed at least 116 people, activists said.
Trump said on Saturday that the US is “ready to help” as protesters in Iran faced an intensifying crackdown.
Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform without elaborating, “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!”
His comments came a day after he said that Iran was in “big trouble” and again warned that he could order strikes. “That doesn’t mean boots on the ground, but it means hitting them very, very hard – where it hurts,” the US President said.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed economic plans and “people’s demands” in an interview on today, according to state TV.
Pezeshkian said in the interview that the United States and Israel want to “sow chaos and disorder” in Iran by ordering “riots”, and called upon Iranians to distance themselves from “rioters and terrorists.”
Pezeshkian, who had been trying to ease anger before the demonstrations exploded in recent days, offered a hardening tone in the interview.
“People have concerns, we should sit with them and if it is our duty, we should resolve their concerns but the higher duty is not to allow a group of rioters to come and destroy the entire society.”
Masoud Pezeshkian
Meanwhile, a nationwide shutdown of the internet in Iran remains in place and has now lasted more than 60 hours, according to the monitor Netblocks. “The censorship measure presents a direct threat to the safety and wellbeing of Iranians at a key moment for the country’s future,” it said today.
Iran says over 100 officers killed as protesters defy government crackdown
Iran’s state media said that dozens of members of the security forces have been killed during protests against an economic crisis.
State television said that 30 members of the police and security forces were killed in the Isfahan province and six others in Kermanshah in western Iran in the latest riots.
The semiofficial Tasnim news agency also reported that 109 security personnel had been killed in the protests across the country.
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