Iran’s supreme leader warned that any attack by the United States would spark a “regional war” in the Mideast, escalating tensions as President Donald Trump has threatened military action over the Islamic Republic’s crackdown on recent nationwide protests.
Khamenei warns US
The comments from the 86-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are the most direct threat he’s made so far, coinciding with the presence of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and associated American warships in the Arabian Sea, deployed by Trump following Tehran’s crackdown.
It remains unclear whether Trump will use force.
Khamenei spoke to a crowd at his compound in Tehran as Iran marked the start of a dayslong commemoration of the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. He described the US as being interested in Iran’s oil, natural gas and other mineral resources, saying they wanted to “seize this country, just as they controlled it before.”
“The Americans must be aware that if they wage a war this time, it will be a regional war,” he said. He added that: “We are not the instigators, we are not going to be unfair to anyone, we don’t plan to attack any country. But if anyone shows greed and wants to attack or harass, the Iranian nation will deal a heavy blow to them.”
Khamenei also hardened his position on the demonstrations after earlier acknowledging some people had legitimate economic grievances. The demonstrations began December 28, initially over the collapse of Iran’s rial currency, and grew into a direct challenge to Khamenei’s rule.
“The recent sedition was similar to a coup. Of course, the coup was suppressed,” he said. “Their goal was to destroy sensitive and effective centres involved in running the country, and for this reason they attacked the police, government centers, (Revolutionary Guard) facilities, banks and mosques — and burned copies of the Quran. They targeted centers that run the country.”
The US-based Human Rights Activists New Agency reports that over 49,500 people have been detained in the crackdown, with at least 6,713 demonstrators killed. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess these figures, as authorities have cut Iran’s internet access to the rest of the world.
As of January 21, Iran’s government put the death toll at 3117, saying 2,427 were civilians and security forces, labeling the rest “terrorists.” Iran’s theocracy has previously undercounted or not reported fatalities from unrest.
Parliament speaker says EU militaries considered terrorist groups
The speaker of Iran’s parliament, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, announced that the Islamic Republic now considers all European Union militaries to be terrorist groups, following the bloc’s declaration of the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard as a terror group over its role in the crackdown.
Qalibaf announced the designation as he and others in parliament wore Guard uniforms in support of the force. Iran used a 2019 law to reciprocally declare other nations’ militaries terror groups following the United States’ designation of the Guard as a terror group in 2019.
The Guard, which controls Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal and has vast economic interests, answers only to Khamenei. Qalibaf stated that by seeking to strike at the Guard, Europeans have “shot themselves in the foot” and acted against their own interests.
Lawmakers at the session chanted: “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”
Trump says Iran is ‘seriously talking’ to US
Trump has laid out two red lines for military action: the killing of peaceful protesters or the possible mass execution of those detained. He’s also increasingly discussed Iran’s nuclear program, which the US negotiated over with Tehran before a 12-day war with Israel in June.
The US bombed three Iranian nuclear sites during the war, and activity at two of those sites suggests Iran may be trying to obscure the view of satellites as it attempts to salvage what remains there.
Trump declined to say whether he’d made a decision on what he wanted to do regarding Iran, stating that Iran is “seriously talking” to the US and should negotiate a “satisfactory” deal to prevent the country from getting nuclear weapons.
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