Iran has warned Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Turkiye that it will hit US bases located in their territories if it is attacked by the United States over the crackdown on anti-government protesters.
“Tehran has told regional countries – from Saudi Arabia and the UAE to Turkiye – that US bases in those countries will be attacked if the US targets Iran…asking these countries to prevent Washington from attacking Iran,” an unnamed senior Iranian official was quoted as saying by the Reuters news agency.
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The Iranian warning comes after US President Donald Trump’s latest threat to intervene militarily in Iran over the deaths of protesters during the ongoing nationwide anti-government demonstrations.
With human rights groups reporting that over 2,400 anti-government protesters have been killed in the Iranian regime’s violent crackdown.
Some reports claimed that Iran will start executing protesters publicly after quick trials. However, Trump warned the country against such a move.
“If they hang them, you’re going to see some things… We will take very strong action if they do such a thing,” the US President was quoted as saying by CBS News.
According to Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) data on the 17th day of the protests, at least 2,403 protesters have been killed since December 28 when the demonstrations first began.
Moreover, some 18,434 protesters have also been detained by Iranian authorities. Another 1,134 people have sustained serious injuries in the regime’s crackdown.
The protests have spread to 187 cities across all 31 provinces of the country.
The Iranian security forces have also suffered significant casualties with 147 personnel reportedly killed in clashes with protesters.
On Tuesday, Trump vowed to punish those killing the protesters. He told Iranians that “help is on its way”, urging them to continue to protest and take over institutions.