Iran steps up warnings against protesters and threatens US troops in the region as unrest enters its second week.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates – Nationwide unrest challenging Iran’s theocracy. Protestors were seen pouring into the streets By Saturday night and Sunday morning, the country’s capital and its second-largest city had crossed the two-week mark. US-based activists said at least 203 people have been killed in violence during the protests, with fears the death toll is much higher.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut, it has become even more difficult to assess the demonstrations from abroad. But the death toll from clashes between protesters and Iranian security forces has continued to rise, according to the US-based Human Rights Activist News Agency, which relies on a network of contacts inside the country.

Human rights activist News Agency said that of those killed, 162 were protesters and 41 were members of the security forces. The agency also acknowledged that it has received far more death claims than anticipated so far, as more than 3,280 other people have been arrested. The group has offered an accurate toll on previous periods of unrest in the Islamic Republic. The Iranian government has not presented any total casualty figures for the protests.

Facing their most significant challenge in years, Iran’s religious rulers have issued stern threats to protesters they claim are influenced by the US and Israel – and have responded to the threat of US intervention by President Trump with their own respective threats.

Iran’s parliament speaker warned that US forces and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if the US attacked the Islamic republic, as Mr Trump had threatened. Qalibaf issued the threat as lawmakers climbed onto the stage in the Iranian parliament and began shouting, “Death to America!”

Those abroad fear the information blackout will embolden radicals within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown, while Mr Trump has warned he is prepared to attack the Islamic republic if protesters are killed.

On Saturday afternoon, Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social that “Iran is looking toward freedom perhaps never seen before. America stands ready to help!”

Maziyar Bahari, editor of the IranWire news website, told CBS News, “I’m sure it has really frightened many Iranian officials and affected their actions in terms of confronting the protesters, but at the same time, it has inspired many protesters to come out because they know that the leader of the world’s main superpower is supporting their cause.”

The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed US officials, said on Saturday night that Mr Trump had been given military options for attacking Iran but had not made a final decision.

Iranian lawmaker says “threat signals” could lead to attacks on US troops

Iranian state television broadcast Sunday’s parliament session live. Qalibaf, a hardliner who has run for president in the past, gave a speech praising the police and Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, particularly its all-volunteer Basij, for “standing firm” during the protests.

“The people of Iran should know that we will deal with them in the most severe manner and punish those arrested,” Qalibaf said.

He began to directly threaten Israel, the “occupied territories” and the US military, possibly with a preemptive strike.

“In the event of an attack on Iran, the occupied territories and all US military centres, bases and ships in the region would be our legitimate targets,” Qalibaf said. “We do not limit ourselves to reacting after action and will take action based on any objective indication of threat.”

It is unclear how serious Iran is about the attack, especially after seeing its air defences destroyed during it. 12-day war in June with Israel, which also saw the US attack its nuclear facilities. Any decision on war will depend on Iran’s 86-year-old supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The US military has said it is deployed to the Middle East “with forces that extend the full range of warfighting capabilities to protect our forces, our allies and partners, and US interests.”

Meanwhile, Israel is “closely monitoring” the situation between the US and Iran, said an Israeli official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to journalists. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke overnight with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Iran and other topics, the official said.

Iranian American forces targeted Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in June, while the U.S. The U.S. Navy has deployed its Middle East-based 5th Fleet to the island kingdom of Bahrain.

Iran threatens protesters with the death penalty.

Online videos sent from Iran, possibly using Starlink satellite transmitters, reportedly showed gatherings in the Punak neighbourhood of northern Tehran. There, authorities appeared to have closed roads, and protesters were waving their burnt mobile phones. Some protesters beat metal while fireworks exploded around them.

Other videos reportedly showed protesters marching peacefully down a street and others honking their car horns on the road.

“The pattern of protests in the capital has transformed into largely dispersed, short-lived and fluid gatherings, an approach shaped in response to the heavy presence of security forces and increasing field pressure,” the human rights activist news agency said. “At the same time, reports were received of surveillance drones flying overhead and security forces’ activities around protest sites, indicating ongoing surveillance and security controls.”

In Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city, about 450 miles northeast of Tehran, video reportedly showed protesters clashing with security forces. Burning debris and dustbins can be seen on the road, blocking the road. Mashhad is home to the Imam Reza shrine, the holiest in Shia Islam, so the protests there are of great importance to the country’s religious order.

Kerman, 500 miles southeast of Tehran, also witnessed protests.

On Sunday morning, Iranian state television emulated the protesters by showcasing quiet areas on the streets in several cities through correspondents wearing date stamps on their screens. Tehran and Mashhad were not included. They also held pro-government demonstrations in Qom and Qazvin.

Despite US warnings, Khamenei has hinted at upcoming repression. Tehran stepped up its threats on Saturday, with Iran’s attorney general, Mohammad Movahedi Azad, warning that anyone taking part in the protests would be considered an “enemy of God”, and face charges punishable by death. The statement carried by Iranian state television said those who “helped the rioters” would also face charges.

Iran’s theocracy cut the country off from the internet and international telephone calls on Thursday, although it allowed some state-owned and semi-official media to publish. Qatar’s state-funded Al Jazeera news network reported live from Iran, but they appeared to be the only major foreign outlet able to operate.

Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, who had called for protests on Thursday and Friday, asked protesters to take to the streets on Saturday and Sunday in his latest message. He urged protesters to take down Iran’s old lion and sun flags and other national symbols used during the Shah’s time to “claim public spaces as their own”.

Pahlavi’s support for Israel has drawn criticism in the past – particularly after the 12-Day War. Protesters have chanted slogans in support of the Shah at some protests, but it is unclear whether this is support for Pahlavi or a desire to return to times before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The demonstrations began on December 28 following the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy has been hit by international sanctions imposed over its nuclear programme. As the protests grew more intense, they evolved into a direct challenge to Iran’s theocracy.

Pope Leo calls for dialogue

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday prayed for those killed in protests in Iran and the conflict in Syria and called for dialogue and peace.

“My thoughts these days are focused on what is happening in the Middle East, especially Iran and Syria, where continuing tensions are leading to the deaths of many people,” the US-born Pope said during his weekly Angelus prayer at the Vatican. “I hope and pray for the cultivation of patient dialogue and peace, for the general well-being of society as a whole.”