Iranian officials declared that America would become a “legitimate target” (Image: AP)
Iran has issued stark warnings of immediate retaliatory strikes against the US should Donald Trump intervene in the ongoing demonstrations sweeping the nation. With estimates suggesting more than 500 fatalities and 10,000 detentions, chaotic scenes have erupted in Tehran and numerous other urban centres throughout the country.
As Trump weighed up potential measures to support the demonstrators, Iranian officials declared that America would become a “legitimate target.” Opposition movements operating from Britain said they were receiving accounts of appalling incidents involving police opening fire on demonstrators.
They also described remarkable displays of courage, with elderly citizens standing up to heavily armed security forces by banging cookware together.
Demonstrators overturned rubbish bins and set them ablaze whilst facing down firearms. Medical facilities reported such an overwhelming influx of critically injured individuals that staff were unable to commence resuscitation attempts on numerous casualties.
One healthcare worker, who requested anonymity, revealed he had witnessed ‘direct shots to the heads of the young people, to their hearts as well.’
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Another local resident stated: “It’s horrific. Every night, the protests go on until after midnight. They are shooting at people. They’re firing huge amounts of tear gas. The brother of one of our friends in Tehran was killed. When his family went to the Kahrizak mortuary to look for his body, they [said they] were shown around a hundred corpses.”
Despite a nationwide internet blackout, demonstrators managed to circumvent restrictions by using smuggled Starlink terminals, enabling them to transmit footage and testimonies to the international community via satellite connections.
Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of Iran’s parliament, issued a stark warning that America and Israel would become “legitimate targets” should the US launch strikes against Iran.
Chanting “Death to America”, he declared: “In the event of an attack on Iran, both the occupied territory and all American military centres, bases and ships in the region will be our legitimate targets.”
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian placed responsibility for the recent turmoil firmly at the feet of Washington and Tel Aviv.
Protesters gather with placards outside the gates of Downing Street to attend a London Rally (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
He alleged: “They have trained certain individuals inside the country and abroad, brought terrorists into the country from outside, set mosques on fire, and attacked markets and guilds in Rasht, setting the bazaar ablaze.”
Speaking to state television, Iran’s police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan confirmed that authorities had intensified their response to demonstrators, announcing the detention of what he described as “key figures” during Saturday evening operations.
Whilst attributing a “significant proportion of fatalities” to “trained and directed individuals” rather than security forces, he offered no further specifics. He continued: “Last night, significant arrests were made of the main elements in the riots, who, God willing, will be punished after going through legal procedures.”
Iran’s attorney general warned earlier that anyone caught protesting or assisting protesters could face charges of being “an enemy of God” – an offence carrying the death penalty.
Mr Trump declared the US “stands ready to help” as Iran “is looking at FREEDOM.”
Iran’s police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan confirmed that authorities had intensified their response (Image: AP)
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian placed responsibility for the recent turmoil firmly at the feet of Washington (Image: PA)
Demonstrators managed to circumvent restrictions by using smuggled Starlink terminals (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Razgar Alani, a Brighton resident and the UK representative for the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, has been desperately trying to contact family and friends in Iran.
He stated: “The collapse of the clerical regime in Iran is not just a matter of when, but how. The regime is crumbling under the weight of its own failures.
“I believe Iran’s evil regime is close to being over. We are looking for the West to help its final collapse. The international community must provide moral and practical backing to ensure the Iranian people’s struggle for freedom is not in vain.:”.
In Tehran, masked protesters were seen seeking shelter behind bins and bonfires, with security forces visible in the distance. A bus-like vehicle was seen ablaze.
Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s final Shah resides in America (Image: REZA PAHLAVI/AFP via Getty Image)
Iran parliament speaker issues warning to US and Israel
Sounds of multiple gunshots and what appears to be banging on pots and pans can be heard. One individual, standing on a nearby footbridge, seems to fire several shots in various directions while others hide behind a fence.
Another authenticated video from Saturday night depicts protesters taking control of the streets in Gisha district.
Additional verified footage from the capital reveals a large group of protesters and the sound of pot-banging in Punak Square, as well as a crowd of demonstrators marching down a road in Heravi district, calling for the end of the clerical establishment.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported that at least 500 individuals had lost their lives and 10,000 were detained. A spokesman stated: “Examination of the causes of death shows that most victims were killed by live ammunition or pellet gunfire, predominantly from close range.”
Protesters took control of the streets in Gisha district. (Image: AP)
Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s final Shah, who resides in America and whose return demonstrators have been demanding, shared a video on X yesterday.
The message read: “Your compatriots around the world are proudly shouting your voice… In particular, President Trump, as the leader of the free world, has carefully observed your indescribable bravery and has announced that he is ready to help you.”
He continued: “I know that I will soon be by your side.”
He alleged the Islamic Republic was experiencing a “severe shortage of mercenaries” and that “many armed and security forces have left their workplaces or disobeyed orders to suppress the people”. Pahlavi urged demonstrators to maintain their protests whilst staying in groups or amongst crowds and not “endanger your lives”.
