Iran warns of retaliation as US withdraws some personnel from Middle East bases

DUBAI/DOHA: Iran has warned of retaliatory action if the United States launches military strikes, as Washington has begun withdrawing some personnel from its bases in the Middle East amid rising regional tensions.

A US official said on Wednesday that some personnel were being pulled out of key bases as a precautionary measure after a senior Iranian official said Tehran had warned neighbouring countries that American bases would be targeted if the United States attacks Iran.

Iran’s leadership is grappling with the most severe domestic unrest in the country’s history, while seeking to deter repeated threats by US President Donald Trump to intervene in support of anti-government protesters.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the US official said the move was part of contingency planning in view of escalating tensions. Two European officials said US military intervention appeared increasingly likely, with one suggesting it could occur within the next 24 hours. An Israeli official also said President Trump appeared to have taken a decision to intervene, although the scale and timing remained unclear.

Qatar confirmed that a drawdown of personnel was under way at the Al Udeid air base, the largest US military facility in the region, citing current regional tensions. Diplomats said some personnel had been instructed to leave the base, though there were no signs of a large-scale evacuation similar to the one that took place before an Iranian missile strike last year.

President Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene in Iran, where protests against clerical rule have intensified. Iranian officials say more than 2,000 people have been killed in a crackdown, while rights groups put the death toll above 2,600.

The unrest, which began two weeks ago over worsening economic conditions, has escalated sharply and is being described by both Iran and Western officials as the most violent since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Iran’s Armed Forces Chief of Staff, General Abdolrahim Mousavi, said the country had “never faced this level of destruction,” blaming foreign enemies for the violence. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot described the situation as the most violent repression in Iran’s contemporary history.

Iranian authorities have accused the United States and Israel of fuelling the unrest, calling those involved “armed terrorists.”

Iran urges regional states to stop US action

A senior Iranian official said Tehran had urged regional allies of the United States to prevent any attack on Iran. The official said countries including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey had been warned that US bases on their territory would be targeted if Washington strikes Iran.

The official added that direct contacts between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff had been suspended.

The United States maintains a significant military presence in the region, including its Central Command forward headquarters at Al Udeid in Qatar and the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.

Unrest continues amid information blackout

Access to information from inside Iran has been restricted due to an internet blackout. US-based rights group HRANA said it had verified the deaths of more than 2,400 protesters and 147 government-affiliated individuals so far, with over 18,000 arrests reported.

Western officials said the scale of unrest had caught Iranian authorities off guard at a vulnerable time, particularly after last year’s Israeli bombing campaign and the reimposition of UN sanctions linked to Iran’s nuclear programme. However, one Western official said the government did not appear to be on the verge of collapse and that the security apparatus remained in control.

Iranian state media aired footage of large funeral processions in Tehran, Isfahan, Bushehr and other cities, showing crowds waving flags and pictures of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

President Masoud Pezeshkian told a cabinet meeting that as long as the government retained public support, “all the enemies’ efforts against the country will come to nothing.”

State media reported that senior Iranian officials had held diplomatic contacts with counterparts in Qatar, the UAE and Turkey, with Araqchi saying calm had prevailed in recent hours.

Meanwhile, Iran’s chief justice, during a visit to a Tehran prison holding detained protesters, called for swift punishment for those accused of violence to prevent further unrest.

Iranian Kurdish rights group Hengaw reported that a 26-year-old man arrested during protests in Karaj was due to be executed on Wednesday, though it said the execution could not be independently confirmed.