Iran Answers Trump’s Warning
Two men hold up posters of the late commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard expeditionary Quds Force, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US drone attack in 2020 in Iraq, during a ceremony Thursday at the Imam Khomeini grand mosque in Tehran. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Iranian leaders are warning the United States that any effort to intervene in the country’s ongoing protests could provoke a strong military response. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s parliament, criticized President Trump on Friday after the president posted on Truth Social that the US would seek to protect “peaceful protesters” if Iranian security forces were to use lethal force. Ghalibaf said such actions would make “all American centers and forces across the entire region” potential targets, according to the Hill. Writing on X, he added that Iranians remain united and ready to confront what they see as foreign aggression.
Protests in Iran have entered their second week. They began after the national currency, the rial, sharply declined in value and have since grown to include broader anti-government slogans. The Associated Press reports that at least seven people have been killed amid the unrest.
The demonstrations come against the backdrop of heightened regional tensions following US and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June. Iran later responded with a missile strike on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which hosts US forces. While the attack caused damage, no casualties were reported.
President Trump has said the earlier US strikes “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities, though he has also stated that Iran is attempting to rebuild. This week, he warned that any further retaliation by Iran would bring a response “very powerful, maybe more powerful than the last time,” according to the Hill. At the same time, Trump has indicated openness to renewed diplomatic talks, including during recent discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago.
In a separate statement, Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, accused the US and Israel of using the protests as a pretext for future military action. He warned that American involvement could destabilize the region and harm US interests, urging Americans to consider the safety of their troops.
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