Tehran has warned neighbors hosting US troops that it would hit US bases if Washington strikes, a senior Iranian official said yesterday, as Iran seeks to deter US President Donald Trump’s threats to intervene on behalf of protesters.
Three diplomats said that some personnel had been advised to leave the main US air base in the region, although there were no immediate signs of a large-scale evacuation of troops as took place in the hours before an Iranian missile attack last year.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene in support of protesters in Iran, where a rights group said that nearly 2,600 people have been killed in a crackdown on one of the biggest-ever waves of protest against clerical rule.
Photo: AFP
According to an Israeli assessment, Trump has decided to intervene, although the scope and timing of the action remain unclear, an Israeli official said.
The three diplomats said that some personnel had been advised to leave the US military’s al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar by yesterday evening.
One of the diplomats described the move as a “posture change” rather than an “ordered evacuation.”
There was no sign of a large-scale movement of troops off the base to a nearby soccer stadium and shopping mall, as took place last year in the hours before Iran targeted the base with missiles in retaliation for US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear targets.
Iranian authorities have accused the US and Israel of fomenting the unrest, carried out by people it calls terrorists.
Trump has been openly threatening to intervene in Iran for days, although without giving specifics.
In an interview with CBS News on Tuesday, Trump vowed “very strong action” if Iran executes protesters.
“If they hang them, you’re going to see some things,” he said.
He also urged Iranians to keep protesting and take over institutions, declaring “help is on the way.”
The Iranian official, a senior figure speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Tehran had asked US allies in the region to “prevent Washington from attacking Iran.”
“Tehran has told regional countries, from Saudi Arabia and UAE [the United Arab Emirates] to Turkey, that US bases in those countries will be attacked” if the US targets Iran, the official said.
The official added that direct contacts between Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araqchi and US special envoy Steve Witkoff had been suspended.
The flow of information from inside Iran has been hampered by an Internet blackout.
US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said it had so far verified the deaths of 2,403 protesters and 147 government-affiliated individuals. An Iranian official on Tuesday said that about 2,000 people had been killed.
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