Iran has warned the US against an attack on its soil, saying US military and Israel will be “legitimate targets” if America strikes the Islamic Republic.
Following an urgently-convened Parliament session on Sunday, Iran’s Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, made the remark as lawmakers rushed the dais in the Iranian parliament, shouting: “Death to America!”
Threats by US President Donald Trump have been coming in thick and fast of possible strikes on Iran if it kills more protesters even as demonstrations swelled in Tehran and other parts of the country against the theocratic regime, ailing economy, and falling currency.
The comments by Qalibaf, however, represent the first to add Israel into the mix of possible targets for an Iranian strike. Previously, Iran’s top judge, ambassador to the US and even Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Washington against intervening in its internal matter and of conspiring to instigate protesters.
With an internet clampdown in the country entering the second day and phone lines cut off, gauging the mounting death toll as a result of violence between protesters and the police is hard to gauge, but human rights watch group, Human Rights Activists News Agency, based in the US, asserts the total deaths have crossed 116, while at least 2,600 have been detained.
Trump, on Saturday, offered support to the protesters, saying on social media that “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!”
Two leading US-based national dailies, citing anonymous US officials, said on Saturday night that Trump had been given military options for a strike on Iran, but hadn’t made a final decision.
The State Department separately warned: “Do not play games with President Trump. When he says he’ll do something, he means it.”
