Iranian parliamentary speaker threatens US with preemptive strikes
Iran will conduct preemptive strikes on US and Israeli targets if it detects an imminent attack, Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said.
The warning comes after US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed support for the protests in Iranian cities triggered by soaring inflation and an economic downturn.
“Let those who threaten Iran be warned. Any attack on Iran will make both the occupied territories, all military centers and bases, and American ships in the region legitimate targets,” Ghalibaf said on Saturday.
“We do not limit ourselves to responding only after an attack and will act based on objective signs of a threat, so that no one makes miscalculations that will lead them to disaster,” he added.
Trump has said the US would “help” the protesters if the government continues to crack down on riots sweeping the country. “You better not start shooting, because we’ll start shooting too,” he said. Netanyahu has also expressed support for the protesters.
According to the New York Times, Trump has been briefed on military options, including strikes on non-military targets in Tehran, though a final decision has not been made. The US and Israel previously struck Iran in June 2025, targeting military sites and nuclear facilities.
The unrest, the worst in recent years, erupted across Iran on December 28 after the national currency collapsed, driving sharp increases in food and staple prices. Protests escalated into clashes with police, attacks on government buildings, and calls by some demonstrators for the restoration of the monarchy. The authorities responded by imposing nationwide internet and phone shutdowns.
More than 200 people have been killed, according to Time magazine, citing a doctor in the capital. Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that rioters killed at least 25 civilians and six security personnel, injuring 120 others.
