Fresh protests in Iran as internet blackout persists

TEHRAN: Tehran threatened yesterday to retaliate in the event of US strikes on Iran.

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Smoke rises as protesters gather amid more anti-government unrest at Vakilabad highway in Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan province, Iran, on Saturday.

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With Iran’s clerical establishment facing the biggest anti-government protests since 2022, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene in recent days, warning Iranian leaders against using force against demonstrators. On Saturday, Mr Trump said the US stands “ready to help”.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bager Qalibaf, speaking in parliament yesterday, warned against “amiscalculation”

“Let us be clear: in the case of an attack on Iran, the occupied territories (Israel) as well as all US bases and ships will be our legitimate target,’ said Qalibaf, a former commander in Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards.

Authorities have stepped up efforts to quell the unrest that has spread across Tran since Dec 28. A US-based rights group, HRANA, reported the death toll stood at 116, mostly protesters but including 37 members of the security forces.

The protests began in response to soaring inflation, before turning against the clerical establishment that has ruled since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The government accuses the US and Israel of fomenting unrest.