Iran says: We are ready for both dialogue and war. Israeli military says: We are ready for possible 'surprise scenarios'.
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US Defense Department officials have briefed President Donald Trump on a possible intervention in Iran and the military equipment it would use, CBS News confirmed to CNN through two Defense Department officials.
Long-range missile strikes are being considered as an option for this attack. Pentagon officials have informed President Trump that cyber operations and psychological operations could be carried out in response.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said that he will stand up to American intervention. In an interview with Al Jazeera Arabic on Monday, Araghchi said that the door to dialogue with the United States is also open. "We are open to all options," he said. He also claimed that Iran is now much stronger than it was during last year's 12-day war.
The news of a military intervention in the United States has also alarmed people in Israel. They fear that Iran could retaliate. The Iranian regime has repeatedly warned that it will retaliate against the United States and its ally Israel if it is attacked.
The Israeli military said on Monday that it is prepared for a possible "surprise scenario."
Israeli military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defferin has urged the country not to follow rumors spreading in the country about the ongoing crisis in Iran. “The protests in Iran are their internal matter,” he wrote on social media. He said the army is ready to protect its citizens. Israel and Iran fought a 12-day war last June.
‘At least 6,000 dead in protests’
Protests have been ongoing in Iran since December 28 over rising prices of daily necessities due to inflation. The demonstrations have put the legitimacy of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in jeopardy. The internet and telephone lines have been cut, making it difficult for the rest of the world to determine the exact number of people killed in the protests. Only a limited number of people have access to the internet here.
Based on conversations with some hospitals in Tehran, unofficial sources and professional intellectuals and human rights activists abroad, The US media outlet Time.com estimates that the death toll may have reached at least 6,000 last Saturday. Demonstrations are taking place around the world in support of the movement and in protest of the Iranian regime's repression.
25 percent tariffs on Iran's trading partners
US President Donald Trump has decided to increase tariffs on countries that trade with Iran by 25 percent . The US has taken this step to put pressure on Tehran as anti-government protests enter their third week.
'Any country that trades with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a tariff of 255 on any and all trade with the United States,' Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday, 'This order is final and conclusive.'
China is Iran's largest trading partner, followed by Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, India, Pakistan. Previously, Trump had claimed that the US would intervene militarily in Iran if more protesters were killed. The White House has not released further information about the tariffs.
