More than 500 protesters are estimated to have been killed in Tehran’s crackdown on the anti-regime street protests that have swept the nation in recent days and Iran on Sunday vowed to strike American bases and targets in Israel if President Trump attempts to intercede with U.S. military action.
Mr. Trump has been provided options for a military strike on Iran, according to unnamed sources cited by the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.
The leader of Iran’s parliament said Sunday that U.S. bases in the region and Israel itself would be “legitimate targets” if Mr. Trump follows through.
On an Iranian television broadcast, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, speaker of the parliament since 2020, applauded the regime’s crackdown on protesters and alluded to possible preemptive strikes on U.S. assets.
“In the event of an attack on Iran, both the occupied territory [Israel] and all American military centers, bases and ships in the region will be our legitimate targets,” Mr. Qalibaf said. “We do not consider ourselves limited to reacting after the action and will act based on any objective signs of a threat.”
Sen. Mark Warner, Virginia Democrat, said on “Fox News Sunday” that while he “stands with the Iranian people,” he isn’t ready to commit to action in Iran.
“You know, I’m against the bad guys around the world, but I’m not sure that America trying to be the policeman for the whole world is why Americans hired Donald Trump to be president,” Mr. Warner said.
The current unverified death toll in protests against the regime is up to at least 538 people, according to The Associated Press.
