Protests expanded throughout Iran on Friday, prompting the nation’s hardline parliamentary leader to caution the United States that its regional military personnel and installations would be viewed as “legitimate targets” should Washington interfere in the domestic turmoil.
Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf issued this statement following a warning earlier Friday from President Trump that America would respond if Iran used force against protesters. The threats come as demonstrations entered their sixth day and seem to be growing, with opposition organizations reporting a minimum of eight fatalities.
“The insolent American President should also understand that with this formal acknowledgment, all U.S. facilities and personnel throughout the entire region will become lawful targets for us in retaliation for any possible reckless action,” Qalibaf posted in Persian on the social media platform X.
“Iranians have consistently shown unity and resolve when confronting an aggressive enemy,” he continued.
This threat from Qalibaf surfaces while the U.S. sustains a significant military footprint in the Middle East.
Approximately 40,000 U.S. active-duty service members and Department of Defense civilians are positioned across the region, as reported by Pentagon officials. These forces are based in nations such as Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, and Syria.
Trump stated earlier Friday that the United States is prepared to act if Iranian authorities crack down violently on protesters.
“If Iran shoots and ‘violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,'” Trump posted on Truth Social.
The opposition group National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) alleged on Friday that protests had erupted in 44 cities spanning 19 provinces, resulting in at least eight deaths during clashes with security forces in the prior two days. The group identified the youngest casualty as 15 years old. These reports have not been independently confirmed.
Per the NCRI, protests and confrontations escalated overnight, with demonstrators obstructing roads, hurling stones, and igniting police vehicles in several cities, such as Marvdasht, Semirom, Darreh-Shahr, Ramhormoz, and Azna.
The organization also alleged that protesters set fire to a statue of the late Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Lali, located in Khuzestan province.
Funerals for those killed in the uprising transformed into furious anti-government rallies, the NCRI stated.
In Zahedan, in southeastern Iran near the Pakistani and Afghan borders, demonstrators gathered after Friday prayers, shouting chants like “Death to the dictator” and “Death to Khamenei.”
This wave of unrest represents the most substantial protests in Iran since 2022, which were triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody. Analysts note the current protests have not yet achieved the same scope or ferocity.
In the latest demonstrations, some of the most serious violence has occurred in western Iran, where online videos seem to depict streets on fire and the sound of gunshots during nightly protests.
In a message to the demonstrators, NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi stated that the protesters have “instilled fear in a weakened adversary.”
“Images of your bravery, courage, and unwavering resistance seize the world’s conscience,” Rajavi said. “Thus, I declare to the clerics, the Revolutionary Guards, the Basij forces, and their intelligence operatives: no matter what you do, you cannot silence a populace determined to topple the clerical regime.”
“You may kill, wound, arrest, and imprison, but you will not evade the unyielding fury of this nation. Let this serve as a direct warning to all who order and execute these crimes and killings: the courts of a free Iran await you.”
In a related development, exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, the eldest son of Iran’s former shah, commended Trump’s “decisive leadership” and firm position against Iran’s ruling clergy.
Pahlavi stated that Iranians are endangering their lives to conclude 46 years of Islamic Republic rule.
“[The people] have charged me with a message and a great duty: to work toward restoring the relationship Iran once shared with America; a bond that fostered peace and prosperity in the Middle East,” Pahlavi wrote on X.
“I possess a clear strategy for a stable transition and have my people’s support to realize it. With your leadership in the free world, we can establish a lasting legacy of enduring peace.”
’ Bradford Betz, Greg Norman, Morgan Phillips and