Attack on Iran would set the Middle East on fire - Tehran warns of retaliation against US bases

Tehran has warned that any military attack by the US on Iran will be met with direct retaliation against US bases in various countries in the Middle East. The threat came after US President Donald Trump publicly supported the ongoing protests in Iran and hinted at intervention. In a statement given to Reuters on Wednesday, a senior Iranian official said that if the US attacks Iran's sovereignty, it will be responded to at the regional level.

The ongoing protests in Iran are becoming increasingly dangerous. According to an international human rights organization, the death toll in these protests has reached about 2,600 so far. It is seen as one of the biggest challenges for the country's religious leadership since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Tensions between the US and Iran have reached a new level over this situation.

The Iranian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Tehran has indications that President Trump has decided to intervene directly in Iran, although the timing and extent of that intervention are still unclear. Iran has already contacted and warned regional allies to prevent a possible attack.

The official added that all Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Turkey, have been informed that if the United States attacks Iran, US bases located on their territory will be the target of Iranian retaliation. This raises the risk of a major military conflict spreading throughout the region.

The official said that in the context of increasing tensions, direct contact between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff has also been suspended. The suspension of diplomatic contacts is making the path to resolving the crisis more complicated.

Meanwhile, an Israeli source said that on Tuesday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu briefed the security cabinet on the possible consequences of the collapse of the Iranian regime or US military intervention. It is worth noting that last year, there was a 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel, which brought the entire region to the brink of war.

On the other hand, in an interview with CBS News, Donald Trump warned that the United States would take “very strong measures” if Iran began executing protesters. He said, “If they hang people, you will see something big.” At the same time, he called on Iranians to continue the movement and seize government institutions, saying, “Help is coming,” although he did not elaborate.

The United States currently has a significant military presence in the Middle East. US troops are deployed in various places, including the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and the Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar. Tehran fired missiles at the Al-Udeid base in retaliation for the US attack on Iran's nuclear facilities last year, which is still fresh in memory.

Iranian state media reported that the head of the country's top security agency, Ali Larijani, spoke separately with the foreign minister of Qatar, and Foreign Minister Araghchi spoke separately with the foreign ministers of Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Iran has taken a cautious stance on these countries, as they are close allies of the US.

Araghchi told the Emirati foreign minister that the current situation is "peaceful", but Iran is determined to defend its sovereignty against any foreign interference. Meanwhile, the internet shutdown in Iran has made it difficult to know the real situation there. According to the human rights organization HRANA, they have been able to confirm the deaths of 2,403 protesters and 147 government employees so far. However, Iranian authorities directly blame the US and Israel for the unrest.