Iran Parliament speaker Qalibaf threatens U.S. forces and bases as ‘legitimate targets’ if President Donald Trump intervenes in ongoing protests.
As nationwide protests continued to spread across Iran on Friday, the regime’s hardline Parliament speaker warned the U.S. that American forces and bases in the region would be considered « legitimate targets » if Washington intervenes in the country’s ongoing political unrest.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf made the comments after President Donald Trump said earlier Friday that the U.S. would take action if Iran uses force against demonstrators. It comes as protests entered a sixth day and appear to be spreading, with Iranian opposition groups claiming at least eight deaths.
« The disrespectful President of America should also know that with this official admission, all American centers and forces across the entire region will be legitimate targets for us in response to any potential adventurism », Qalibaf wrote in Persian on X.
« Iranians have always been united and determined to act in the face of an aggressor enemy », he added.
Qalibaf’s threat emerges as the United States maintains a substantial military presence in the region.
Roughly 40,000 active-duty U.S. troops and War Department civilians are deployed across the Middle East, according to Military Times, citing Pentagon officials. Forces are stationed in countries including Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq and Syria, according to Reuters.
Trump said earlier Friday that the United States is « locked and loaded and ready to go » if Iranian authorities violently suppress demonstrators.
