![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2255217681-scaled-e1768225766436.avif\")
<\/a><\/p>\nProtesters attend a “Free Iran From The Islamic Republic” rally in London on Jan. 11, 2026. (Photo by Loredana Sangiuliano\/Anadolu via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cLet us be clear: in the case of an attack on Iran, the occupied territories as well as all U.S. bases and ships will be our legitimate target,\u201d Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, a former commander in the country\u2019s Revolutionary Guards, said on Saturday. Iranian officials use \u201cthe occupied territories\u201d to refer to Israel, which the Iranian Islamic Republic regime has sworn to destroy and attacked repeatedly.<\/p>\n
Qalibaf was responding to U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s repeated comments signaling potential U.S. retaliation against Iran in the event that Iranian officials begin killing anti-government protesters who have been demonstrating with increasing strength since late last month.<\/p>\n
On Monday, Qalibaf reportedly escalated his threats at a pro-government rally in Tehran, saying Iran would deal Trump \u201can unforgettable lesson\u201d if he follows through on his continued threats to intervene. Agence France Presse reported that he spoke in front of banners reading \u201cDeath to Israel, Death to America\u201d in Persian.<\/p>\n
Trump has openly said the United States is considering weighing in against the Iranian government. \u201cIran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before,\u201d he wrote on Truth Social, his social media network, on Saturday. \u201cThe USA stands ready to help!!!\u201d<\/p>\n
On Sunday, amid reports that the Iranian regime had embarked on a bloody crackdown, Trump said again that he was considering \u201cvery strong options\u201d against Iran, though he also said Tehran had reached out to negotiate. Amid reports that he expected to be briefed on military options against Iran on Tuesday, Trump indicated that the United States could act sooner.<\/p>\n
\u201cIran wants to negotiate, yes. We may meet with them \u2014 I mean a meeting is being set up,\u201d Trump told reporters on Air Force One late Sunday. \u201cBut we may have to act, because of what\u2019s happening, before the meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Protest leaders said hundreds if not thousands of protesters had been shot to death in Tehran on Sunday, though official numbers were much lower and impossible for independent news organizations to verify in part because of an internet blackout that the government put in place last week.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere seem to be some people killed that aren\u2019t supposed to be killed,\u201d Trump said. \u201cThese are violent \u2014 if you call them leaders, I don\u2019t know if they\u2019re leaders or just if they rule through violence. And we\u2019re looking at some very strong options. We\u2019ll make a determination.\u201d<\/p>\n
The potential for armed conflict between the United States and Iran, Israel\u2019s sworn enemy, has prompted sharp concerns in Israel, which last year waged a 12-day war with Iran that ended under U.S. pressure following a U.S. strike on Iran\u2019s nuclear facilities. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Sunday to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Reuters reported that Israeli intelligence officials said the country was on \u201chigh alert.\u201d<\/p>\n
At least one Israeli official has indicated that Israeli agents are active on the ground in Iran during the swelling protest movement, fueling criticism from Tehran that the protests have been stoked by foreign actors.<\/p>\n
Demonstrations in support of the Iranian protesters, who are responding not only to the country\u2019s repressive religious leadership but also an economic crisis, took place in cities around the world over the weekend. Some of the protests included Jewish Iranian expats and expressions of support for Israel.<\/p>\n