KEY POINTS
- Iran vows to defend itself after Trump says he will “watch and see” on military action.
- Iran’s nationwide protests are fuelled by economic grievances.
- Iranian Foreign Minister warns Trump against intervention.
- Trump says killings in Iran are subsiding.
TEHRAN, Iran: Iran vowed on Thursday to defend itself against any foreign threat, after US President Donald Trump said he would “watch it and see” about military action amid nationwide protests over economic grievances.
The protests, now in their third week, have raised tensions across the Middle East after Trump’s threats and sparked fears of confrontation with the United States.
On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah discussed regional developments during a telephone call.
According to a statement issued by the Saudi Foreign Ministry, the two discussed the latest regional developments and ways to support security and stability in the region.
Prince Faisal also held phone conversations with his Qatari, Omani, and French counterparts and reviewed recent regional developments and their impacts on the Middle East region.
Earlier this week, President Trump warned that the United States would take “very strong action” if Iran carried out executions of protesters. Iran has said it would retaliate if attacked by the US.
On Wednesday, Trump said his administration had been informed “on good authority that killings in Iran were subsiding” and that there was “no plan for executions”.
When pressed on whether military action was now off the table, he replied: “We’re going to watch and see what the process is.”
Global oil prices plunges
The comments sent oil prices plunging on Thursday, as concerns eased of a looming supply shock in energy markets. Iran makes up around three percent of global oil production.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned Trump against military action, telling Fox News: “Do not repeat the same mistake that you did in June.”
He added that attempting the same approach again would lead to the same outcome.
Iranian officials have accused the US of trying to “manufacture a pretext for military intervention”.
Until Wednesday, the United States was threatening military action against Iran.
In an interview with US network Fox News, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said there would be “no hanging today or tomorrow”, while accusing US ally Israel of orchestrating violence in Iran.
Araghchi said the protests devolved into widespread violence between January 7 and 10 because they were infiltrated by external “elements who had a plan to create a big number of killings in order to provoke President Trump to enter into this conflict and start a new war against Iran”.
The authorities imposed a nationwide internet blackout on January 8, as protests spread.
Iranian govt in ‘full control’
Araghchi said the Iranian government was “in full control” and reported an atmosphere of “calm” after what he called three days of “terrorist operation”.
Iran also struck a defiant tone about responding to any US attack, as Washington appeared to draw down staff at a base in Qatar after Tehran warned of retaliatory strikes on US military bases in the region.
Iran targeted the Al Udeid base in Qatar in June in retaliation for US strikes on its nuclear facilities.
Ali Shamkhani, a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned Trump the strike showed “Iran’s will and capability to respond to any attack”.
Fears of possible US military action continued to rile the region, and Turkiye on Thursday said it opposed a military operation against Iran.
Concern in the Middle East
Trump’s earlier warnings of intervention assumed fresh weight on Wednesday as the US began withdrawing some personnel in the region.
Trump, who ordered strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites in June during a 12-day war between Israel and Iran, has declined to reveal what action he would take.
One source said that Trump aides have been reviewing a range of options, including limited strikes on symbolic military targets.
Some experts said that with his repeated vows to act, Trump may have left himself little choice but to intervene should the security forces pursue their harsh crackdown.
Trump could have a greater impact by interrupting Iran’s cash flows and waging cyber-attacks, giving the protests more time to play out, said Jon Alterman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank.
“A military action would make everyone expect an instant result or complain it wasn’t working,” he said.
Trump has been intent on keeping up pressure on Iran after strikes on its nuclear sites in June, a White House official said.
