Authorities and state-affiliated media reacted forcefully to reports in US media that President Donald Trump is considering a broad military campaign against Iran as early as this weekend amid escalating tensions over the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
The Wall Street Journal and CNN reported that the White House has reviewed plans for large-scale strikes against Iran\u2019s energy infrastructure, although Trump has not given final authorization and diplomacy remains an option.<\/p>\n
US embassies across the Middle East, including in the UAE, Jordan, Iraq and Israel, urged Americans on Saturday to consider leaving the region or be prepared to depart if tensions escalate, warning of possible Iranian attacks, flight disruptions and airspace closures.<\/p>\n
Israel also raised its defense alert level as an Israeli official told Channel 12 that Trump was closer than ever to approving a significant strike on Iran.<\/p>\n
Tehran warns of devastating retaliation<\/strong><\/p>\n Statements by Iranian officials and reports from outlets affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards indicate that Tehran is preparing for the possibility of a broad US military campaign.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s Foreign Ministry warned regional countries Saturday against allowing the United States and Israel to use their territory or facilities for attacks on Iran, saying Tehran would target the locations from which any such attacks were launched.<\/p>\n \u201cThe defensive strikes of our courageous armed forces continue at full force,\u201d the ministry said, citing the naval blockade of Iranian ports and commercial shipping, attacks across the country, intensified economic pressure and unlawful threats.<\/p>\n Major General Ali Abdollahi, commander of Iran\u2019s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, also warned regional governments against supporting Washington.<\/p>\n \u201cAny country that makes itself a defensive shield for criminal, aggressor America will burn in the fire of war,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Tasnim News Agency, citing what it described as a senior security official, said Iran had prepared \u201can extensive response\u201d targeting \u201cthe Israeli regime\u2019s vital infrastructure and America\u2019s energy infrastructure in the region.\u201d<\/p>\n Nour News, an outlet close to Iran\u2019s Supreme National Security Council, described threats against Iranian infrastructure as \u201cblackmail against global energy security\u201d and warned that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Israel could become targets if Iran\u2019s energy facilities are attacked.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first missile will mark the beginning of a crisis that no one will be able to contain,\u201d the outlet wrote.<\/p>\n Outreach to mediators<\/strong><\/p>\n Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke Saturday with Pakistan\u2019s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, and the foreign ministers of Turkey and Saudi Arabia about regional developments and the risk of further escalation.<\/p>\n Araghchi warned that any new US or Israeli attack, or support from regional countries, would face a \u201cdecisive and proportionate response,\u201d saying Iran was prepared to defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity and security. He added that those responsible would bear the consequences.<\/p>\n The warnings came as figures close to Iran\u2019s political establishment portrayed the crisis as rooted in disputes that go well beyond the immediate military standoff. Ali Gholhaki, an activist close to Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, said the conflict extends beyond maritime access or Iran\u2019s frozen assets.<\/p>\n The United States is demanding a long-term\u2014or even permanent\u2014suspension of uranium enrichment and the transfer abroad of roughly 400 kilograms of enriched uranium, conditions Tehran refuses to accept, he wrote.<\/p>\n Gholhaki argued that even a large-scale conventional bombing campaign against Iran\u2019s remaining nuclear facilities or attacks on the country\u2019s energy infrastructure would be unlikely to alter Tehran\u2019s strategic calculations.<\/p>\n \u201cConflict is inevitable. Escalation can only be avoided if one side makes a clear retreat,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n Long fuel queues reflect public concern<\/strong><\/p>\n The prospect of military escalation has also affected public sentiment.<\/p>\n Witnesses in Tehran reported unusually long queues at petrol stations amid rumors of a major US attack, while videos shared on social media showed motorists rushing to fill their tanks in anticipation of possible disruptions.<\/p>\n Social media users attributed the congestion largely to growing anxiety over the prospect of war.<\/p>\n Online debate exposes divisions<\/strong><\/p>\n Iranian social media reflected both calls for retaliation and concern about the consequences of a regional war.<\/p>\n Ebrahim Rezaei, a hardline member of parliament\u2019s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, rejected suggestions that Iran could be subdued through a surprise attack.<\/p>\n \u201cIf Iran is struck, we will return the entire region and its facilities to the Stone Age,\u201d he wrote, adding: \u201cIt is in your interest not to commit such stupidity.\u201d<\/p>\n His remarks drew criticism from reformist journalist Mohammad Aghazadeh, who responded: \u201cEven if that happens, what about the Iranian people? What about their own return to the Stone Age and their suffering?\u201d<\/p>\n Another user questioned the logic of threatening neighboring Arab states, asking how mutual destruction would ultimately harm the United States or Israel.<\/p>\n Reformists urge diplomacy \u2018before it is too late\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n Several reformist commentators urged both sides to pursue negotiations before the conflict reaches an irreversible stage.<\/p>\n Journalist Mohammad Sohofi cautioned against both complacency and panic, writing that people should fear \u201cthe surrender of rational judgment to illusions\u201d more than reports of US military plans.<\/p>\n Veteran journalist Ahmad Zeidabadi argued that the current moment may represent the last opportunity for diplomacy.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the dispute is to be resolved through negotiation and agreement, now is the time,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n He warned that if Iran\u2019s energy infrastructure is attacked and Tehran retaliates against regional energy facilities, \u201cnothing will ever be the same again,\u201d adding that people would experience \u201cthe kind of life previously depicted only in horror films.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Authorities and state-affiliated media reacted forcefully to reports in US media that President Donald Trump is considering a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1124856,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5311],"tags":[774,192116,192113,192111,14535,192114,83349,192112,192110,192115,839,49,978,24535,659],"class_list":["post-1124855","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-states","tag-iran","tag-iran-and-china","tag-iran-covid","tag-iran-economy","tag-iran-government","tag-iran-media-iran-and-the-united-states","tag-iran-news","tag-iran-nuclear","tag-iran-politics","tag-iran-us","tag-middle-east","tag-united-states","tag-us","tag-us-sanctions","tag-usa"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/117022583839422190","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1124855","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1124855"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1124855\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1124856"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1124855"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1124855"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1124855"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}