DUBAI: Tehran has warned US allies in the Middle East it will strike US bases on their soil if Washington attacks Iran, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday (Jan 14), following President Donald Trump’s threats to intervene in support of protesters.
The death toll from Iran’s unrest climbed to almost 2,600, a rights group said, as the clerical establishment seeks to quell nationwide protests posing one of the biggest challenges to their rule since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
According to an Israeli assessment, Trump has decided to intervene but the scope and timing of this action remains unclear, an Israeli official said.
The Iranian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Tehran had asked US allies in the region to “prevent Washington from attacking Iran”.
“Tehran has told regional countries, from Saudi Arabia and UAE to Turkey, that US bases in those countries will be attacked” if the US targets Iran, the official said.
The official added that direct contacts between Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff had been suspended, reflecting mounting tensions.
A second Israeli source, a government official, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet was briefed late on Tuesday about the chances of regime collapse or US intervention in Iran, an arch-foe with which Israel fought a 12-day war last year.
In an interview with CBS News on Tuesday, Trump vowed “very strong action” if Iran executes protesters. “If they hang them, you’re going to see some things,” he said. He also urged Iranians on Tuesday to keep protesting and take over institutions, declaring “help is on the way” but without giving details.
The United States has forces across the region including in Bahrain, home to the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, and Qatar, which hosts Al Udeid Air Base – the forward headquarters for US Central Command.
Iran fired missiles at Al Udeid last year in retaliation for US airstrikes on its nuclear installations.