{"id":91153,"date":"2026-01-11T21:28:22","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T02:28:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/?p=91153"},"modified":"2026-01-11T21:28:22","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T02:28:22","slug":"iranian-parliament-speaker-threatens-us-israel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/iranian-parliament-speaker-threatens-us-israel\/","title":{"rendered":"Iranian parliament speaker threatens US, Israel"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By JNS STAFF<\/p>\n<p>(<em>JNS.org<\/em><span class=\"light-weight-content\">) \u2013 <\/span>Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has threatened to attack the U.S. military and Israel should President Donald Trump authorize strikes against the regime for harming protesters amid growing unrest in the country, the&nbsp;<em>Associated Press<\/em>&nbsp;reported on Sunday.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_91154\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/FmB6OCn-880x495-1.webp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-91154\" class=\"wp-image-91154 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/FmB6OCn-880x495-1-300x169.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/FmB6OCn-880x495-1-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/FmB6OCn-880x495-1-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/FmB6OCn-880x495-1.webp 880w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/169;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-91154\" class=\"wp-image-91154 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/FmB6OCn-880x495-1-300x169.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/FmB6OCn-880x495-1-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/FmB6OCn-880x495-1-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/FmB6OCn-880x495-1.webp 880w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-91154\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, June 2021. Photo credit: Tehran Times)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Ghalibaf, a former commander of the&nbsp;Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, warned that the two allies were \u201clegitimate targets,\u201d according to the news agency, making the threat as&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jns.org\/iranian-elite-reportedly-seeking-exit-strategy\/\">lawmakers<\/a>&nbsp;rushed to the dais in the Islamic Consultative Assembly in Tehran\u2019s Baharestan district, shouting: \u201cDeath to America!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the event of an attack on Iran, both the occupied territory [i.e. Israel] and all American military centers, bases and ships in the region will be our legitimate targets,\u201d Ghalibaf said. \u201cWe do not consider ourselves limited to reacting after the action and will act based on any objective signs of a threat.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump has made recent public comments and social media posts warning of consequences if the regime cracks down on nationwide protests, on Saturday&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jns.org\/iran-wont-back-down-in-the-face-of-saboteurs-says-khamenei\/\">writing<\/a>&nbsp;on his Truth Social platform that \u201cIran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jns.org\/netanyahu-rubio-discuss-iran-protests-and-regional-issues\/\">State Department<\/a>&nbsp;also warned: \u201cDo not play games with President Trump. When he says he\u2019ll do something, he means it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The New York Times<\/em>, citing U.S. officials, reported on Saturday: \u201cMr. Trump has not made a final decision, but the officials said he was seriously considering authorizing a strike in response to the Iranian regime\u2019s efforts to suppress demonstrations set off by widespread economic grievances.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe president has been presented with a range of options, including strikes on nonmilitary sites in Tehran, the people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss confidential conversations,\u201d the report continued.<\/p>\n<p>An official told&nbsp;<em>The Wall Street Journal<\/em>&nbsp;on Saturday that one option under consideration is a large-scale aerial assault on Iranian military positions. Another official noted that no consensus has been reached and that no troops or equipment have been mobilized in preparation for such an operation.<\/p>\n<p>The officials emphasized that the talks are part of routine military planning and stressed there are no indications of an imminent strike on Iran.<\/p>\n<p>The Israel Defense Forces said over the weekend that it is maintaining high operational readiness and closely monitoring developments in Iran, following a series of security assessments led by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir.<\/p>\n<p>The army stressed that the ongoing protests are \u201can internal Iranian matter,\u201d but noted that Israel\u2019s defenses are reinforced and its capabilities constantly being upgraded.\u200b<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are prepared on defense and will know how to respond forcefully if required,\u201d the IDF said, adding that it \u201cwill do whatever is necessary to protect the citizens of the State of Israel.\u201d \u200b<\/p>\n<p>Demonstrators filled the streets of Tehran and Mashhad, Iran\u2019s second-largest city, again on Sunday, extending into a third week&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jns.org\/iran-protests-leave-36-dead-rights-group-says\/\">protests<\/a>&nbsp;challenging the country\u2019s Islamic theocratic rule. At least 116 people have been killed in the unrest, according to activists, as authorities struggle to contain some of the largest anti-government demonstrations in years.<\/p>\n<p>Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned on Sunday that \u201crioters and terrorists\u201d must not be allowed to disturb public order, accusing Israel and the United States of fomenting unrest.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speaking to state broadcaster&nbsp;<em>IRIB<\/em>, Pezeshkian said Iranians should trust that authorities seek to \u201cestablish justice\u201d and not allow agitators to \u201cdisrupt society.\u201d He claimed that foreign adversaries aim to \u201csow chaos and disorder\u201d in the Islamic Republic by instigating the ongoing protests.<\/p>\n<p>With internet access disrupted and phone lines cut, verifying details of the turmoil has grown increasingly difficult. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said the death toll continues to rise and that regime security forces have detained more than 2,600 people since the protests began.<\/p>\n<p>Ghalibaf sent a stern message to the protesters in his speech praising the response of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its Basij paramilitary&nbsp;volunteers, saying that \u201cthe people of Iran should know that we will deal with them in the most severe way and punish those who are arrested.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The army said Saturday that it would \u201cresolutely defend national interests, strategic infrastructure, and public property,\u201d accusing Israel and what it described as terrorist organizations of fueling the unrest and pledging to \u201cfoil the enemy\u2019s schemes,\u201d the&nbsp;<em>Journal<\/em>&nbsp;reported.<\/p>\n<p>Nationwide&nbsp;protests, the largest in three years, erupted on Dec. 28 over soaring inflation and a plunging currency, with the rial falling to a record low of 1.46 million to the dollar on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The protests have widened to include calls to overthrow the Islamist government. Strikes have also been a part of the movement.<\/p>\n<p>The theocratic dictatorship is also dealing with the reimposition of economic sanctions over nuclear violations along with water and electricity crises.<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"Tumblr\",\"Email\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"Iranian%20parliament%20speaker%20threatens%20US%2C%20Israel\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":91154,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,27,25],"tags":[184,8781,8790,5233,15002,8788,518],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91153"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91153"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91153\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":91155,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91153\/revisions\/91155"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91154"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}