Iran threatens to retaliate against US and Israeli military bases in case of attack; deaths in protests reach 116

Videos show chaos on the streets of Iran in demonstrations against the Khamenei government. Iran warned this Sunday (11) that it will retaliate against Israel and United States military bases in the region if it is the target of an American attack. According to the president of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, these locations would be considered “legitimate targets” in this scenario. The statement comes amid a wave of protests against Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s regime in Iran that has left at least 116 people dead, according to data from the human rights group HRANA released by the Reuters agency. On Saturday (11), US President Donald Trump declared his support for the protesters and said that Americans were “ready to help”. A day earlier, Trump said the US could intervene in the crisis if the Iranian regime killed peaceful protesters. Country is at war, says Iranian regime Image taken from a video released on January 9 shows a car on fire during a night of protests in Zanjan, Iran Iran’s state TV via AP Since the beginning of widespread protests against the regime of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Iran, in the last days of 2025, the movement has expanded in scale and violence. Khamenei said on Friday (9) that his government “will not back down” in the face of widespread protests, which have escalated in proportion and violence in recent days. In a statement broadcast on state TV, the Iranian supreme leader called the protesters “vandals” and “saboteurs”. Ali Larijani, an advisor to the ayatollah and head of the country’s main security agency, said that Iran is “in the midst of war” and that some “incidents” were “orchestrated abroad”. The Iranian regime also accused the United States of inciting the protests. The US called the accusations “delusional” and said they reflect an attempt to divert attention from the Iranian regime’s internal challenges, according to a State Department spokesperson. The Iranian government’s repression increased this Saturday, according to the AFP agency. Iran has not faced a movement of this magnitude since the 2022 protests following the death of Mahsa Amini, arrested for allegedly violating the women’s dress code. The demonstrations occur at a time of fragility in Iran, following the war with Israel and the blows suffered by some of its regional allies. Furthermore, in September, the United Nations (UN) reinstated sanctions linked to the country’s nuclear program.

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