Iranian officials have warned that American military bases throughout the region will be considered legitimate targets if Washington takes aggressive measures. The parliament speaker’s Friday threat came after President Trump declared the United States would intervene should Iranian authorities use deadly force against peaceful demonstrators.
Seven people have died in violent clashes since protests erupted Sunday over Iran’s economic catastrophe. The demonstrations began in Tehran with shopkeepers criticizing government policies but have spread as citizens express mounting fury over currency collapse and rampant inflation.
Trump’s intervention warning prompted fierce resistance from Tehran’s leadership. A senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei specifically warned that American involvement in Iran’s domestic affairs would spread chaos throughout the Middle East, raising concerns about broader regional conflict.
Economic grievances are at the heart of the protests. Official figures show inflation reached 42.5 percent in December, while the national currency has weakened to approximately 1.4 million rials per dollar. This currency crisis has made imports prohibitively expensive and driven up domestic prices, creating severe hardship for ordinary Iranians on stagnant wages.
President Pezeshkian’s civilian government has tried to project receptiveness to public anger. Speaking on state television, Pezeshkian used Islamic language to emphasize the moral importance of addressing livelihood concerns. Despite this sympathetic rhetoric, he has acknowledged having few tools to combat the currency crisis. The prosecutor general has sought to distinguish legitimate economic protests, which he validated, from security threats that would face decisive responses.