Iran warned President Donald Trump on Sunday that any US attack would lead to Tehran striking back against Israel and regional US military bases as "legitimate targets," Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf told parliament.
Israel is on high alert for the possibility of a US intervention to support a nationwide protest movement in Iran, sources said.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, speaking in parliament on Sunday, warned the United States against "a miscalculation."
"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 Revolutionary Guards.
This announcement was made in response to President Donald Trump's announcement that America "stands ready to help" since Iran "is looking at freedom," in a post on Truth Social on Saturday.
Trump administration discusses potential attack on Iran
Admin officials have had preliminary discussions about how to carry out an attack on Iran if needed to follow through on Trump's threats. One option being discussed is a large-scale aerial strike on multiple Iranian military targets, sources told The Wall Street Journal in an article published on Saturday.
One official told The WSJ that an aerial strike on Iranian military assets was among the options under discussion. Another said there was no unified consensus on whether the administration would strike or what course of action to take, and that the US military had not made any moves in preparation for a strike.
Both officials told The WSJ that the administration was not planning an imminent attack on Iran, and that the discussions were part of normal planning.
Trump previously stated that if the Iranian regime forces "start killing people," the US will "hit them really hard" during an interview on the Hugh Hewitt Show on Thursday.
US official sees ‘endurance game’ in Iran
A senior US intelligence official on Saturday described the situation in Iran as an "endurance game." The opposition was trying to keep up pressure until key government figures either flee or switch sides, while the authorities were trying to sow enough fear to clear the streets without giving the United States justification to intervene, the official said.
Israel has not signaled a desire to intervene, with tensions between the two arch-foes high over Israeli concerns about Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
In an interview with The Economist published on Friday, Netanyahu said there would be horrible consequences for Iran if it were to attack Israel. Alluding to the protests, he said: “Everything else, I think we should see what is happening inside Iran."