The global community remains on high alert, awaiting the next moves from Washington and Tehran, during a period when bilateral relations have reached a historic low. With American President Donald Trump yet to fully clarify how he will carry out the expected intervention in Iran aimed at transitioning to a new era through overthrowing the existing political order, the Iranian regime is sending specific messages to the US by escalating its rhetoric, particularly “pointing to” America behind the demonstrations. Meanwhile, analysts suggest Israel may also be affected by potential Iranian retaliation. At the same time, the US is calling on its allies to leave Tehran and has begun removing personnel from the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. In this tense diplomatic situation, the Iranian military is in “maximum defensive readiness” and ready to “counter any aggressive action,” according to the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ air force.
Missile stockpiles “have increased compared to before the 12-day war with Israel and all damage during this period has been repaired, maintaining forces at maximum readiness,” stated Sardar Mousavi, according to the Fars news agency.
Iran chaos: Tehran’s latest threats
Earlier, however, Tehran warned a series of neighboring countries that it would attack American military bases on their territory if Washington attacks Iran, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday.
“Tehran has informed regional countries, from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to Turkey, that American bases in these countries will be attacked if the US targets Iran,” the official stated, adding that Tehran had asked these governments to try to prevent any American attack.
The potential US strike
American reports, however, do not rule out a strike that would be launched from the White House, though no one yet knows if this is the goal of the American presidency, given that it may ultimately consider the international consequences, such as a possible retaliatory strike directed from Tehran toward Israel. Decisions are expected to be made in the national council convened under Trump, with response methods varying, as the Republican president expresses his unwavering support for the protesters, openly encouraging them – something interpreted as direct intervention – to continue with the goal of change and transition to another era.
Trump’s phrasing, meanwhile, is specific and carefully chosen in his social media posts, as he urges US allies to leave the current volatile situation with terms like “get out” rather than “evacuate,” giving a more dramatic tone to the existing developments.
US President Donald Trump encouraged Iranian protesters to continue demonstrations, saying that “help is coming” amid violent suppression. He also warned Iran not to execute protesters, saying the US would take “strong measures” in response. The US State Department fears that a protester may be executed tomorrow.
After returning from Michigan in the afternoon (US time), Trump said he would participate in a meeting on Iran, where he expects to receive briefings on the death toll. The death toll from demonstrations in Iran has reached 2,571, announced today the US-based rights organization HRANA.
The organization announced it has so far confirmed the deaths of 2,403 protesters, 147 people connected to the government, 12 people under 18 years old, and nine citizens who were not among the protesters. An Iranian official said yesterday, Tuesday, that about 2,000 people have been killed – the first time authorities gave a total death toll from the suppression of protests, which have lasted more than two weeks throughout the country.
With Washington-Tehran relations at a historic low, it remains to be seen whether Trump’s call for change and regime overthrow will be accompanied by a strike, possibly aerial. The last time, it should be remembered, that the US struck Iran directly, intervening in political affairs, was during the 12-day war with Israel, when Iranian nuclear facilities were hit and the country’s nuclear power was visibly reduced.
