Iran Responds to Trump Remarks with Warning

(MENAFN) Iran has issued a stark warning to Washington, declaring that American military installations across the Middle East will become legitimate targets if the US intervenes in the nation's escalating civil unrest, according to the country's parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Ghalibaf.

The threat emerged after US President Donald Trump declared that America was "locked and loaded" and could go in at any moment, signaling potential military involvement as protests intensify throughout the Islamic Republic.

Mass demonstrations erupted in late December when Tehran merchants launched strikes following the rial's catastrophic collapse to an all-time low. The economic grievances rapidly metastasized into nationwide political upheaval marked by violent clashes across multiple cities.

"The disrespectful president of America should … know that … all American centers and forces across the entire region will be legitimate targets for us in response to any potential adventurism," Ghalibaf stated on X Friday, directly responding to Trump's earlier Truth Social post.

The current turmoil represents the most severe civil disorder since 2022, when Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman detained for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly, perished in police custody. That tragedy ignited weeks of bloody confrontations that claimed over 200 lives nationwide and resulted in thousands of detentions.

Circulating online footage indicates demonstrators have assaulted government facilities and sites connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Both protesters and security personnel have reportedly sustained casualties during the clashes.

Trump cautioned that Washington might intervene if Iran "shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters."

Ghalibaf alleged that Israeli operatives have attempted to weaponize legitimate demonstrations into armed urban warfare, though he claimed authorities successfully disrupted these efforts.

Tehran possesses the capability to distinguish between genuine protesters and "foreign mercenaries" and would never brutalize its own citizens, the parliamentary speaker emphasized.

Israel has publicly backed the unrest. Its Mossad intelligence service has acknowledged conducting operations inside the Islamic Republic. Tehran warned Friday that any interference with Iran's security would provoke a "regret-inducing response."

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