Skip next section Iran warns US, Israel it will retaliate against any attack
01/11/2026January 11, 2026Iran warns US, Israel it will retaliate against any attack
Iranian MPs chanted ‘Death to America’ during the sessionImage: tasnimnews
Iran on Sunday warned US President Donald Trump that any US military action against the Islamic Republic would make Israel and regional US military bases “legitimate targets” for an Iranian strike.
The speaker of Iran’s parliament, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, made the threat to the US during a parliament session convened to discuss the ongoing mass protests.
The parliament session was broadcast live by the state television.
Lawmakers were seen rushing to the front of the assembly shouting: “Death to America!”
Qalibaf also threatened Israel directly, referring to it as “the occupied territory.”
“In the event of an attack on Iran, both the occupied territory and all American military centers, bases and ships in the region will be our legitimate targets,” Qalibaf said.
“We do not consider ourselves limited to reacting after the action and will act based on any objective signs of a threat,” the hard-liner, who has previously run for president, added.
Iran’s statement comes after Trump said on Saturday that the US was ready to assist Iranian protesters.
“Iran is looking at freedom, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.
It was not clear what form Trump’s help would take. He has previously suggested that any possible US strike would not “mean boots on the ground, but that means hitting them very, very hard where it hurts.”
https://p.dw.com/p/56dei
Skip next section Rights group reports 116 deaths amid fresh protests in Iran
01/11/2026January 11, 2026Rights group reports 116 deaths amid fresh protests in Iran
Protesters in Iran’s second city Mashhad again defied the crackdownImage: SOCIAL MEDIA/REUTERS
Undaunted by an intensified security crackdown, protesters challenging Iran’s theocracy again took to the streets of the capital Tehran and the country’s second largest city of Mashhad in fresh demonstrations overnight and into Sunday morning.
While Iran has severed the internet and phone lines for its 85 million people, several videos emerging from the country show new protests in several Iranian cities.
One such video appeared to show protesters congregating in northern Tehran’s Punak neighborhood, AP reported. The streets appeared to be cordoned off by authorities as protesters banged pots and set off fireworks.
In Mashhad, videos purportedly showed protesters confronting security forces.
Images from the eastern city, which is home to Shiite Islam’s holiest Imam Reza shrine, also showed vehicles set on fire, AFP reported.
On Sunday, US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said that at least 116 people have been killed in the violence surrounding the demonstrations, which have now entered their third week.
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Skip next section Welcome to our coverage01/11/2026January 11, 2026Welcome to our coverage
A wave of protests in Iran continues to grip the nation. What started as demonstrations against Iran’s severe economic woes has grown into demands to oust the Islamic regime of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
A communications blackout imposed by the Iranian government in a bid to quell the uprising has been in place for 60 hours, according to an internet monitor.
In what activists are calling a “brutal” clampdown by Iranian authorities, at least 116 protesters have been killed amid clashes with security forces, according to a human rights group.
The death toll from the protests has reached at least 116 amid what activists are calling a “brutal” clampdown by Iranian authorities.
Meanwhile, world leaders are closely following the developments in Iran closely. President Donald Trump has reiterated the US’ support for protesters, warning that he could order an American military strike on Iran.
Tehran has now warned that US troops and Israel would be targets if Washington strikes.
Stay with us as we bring you the latest on the anti-government protests in Iran.
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