Media sources, citing six US officials, reported that the leadership in Iran is significantly concerned that any US attack could weaken its authority, by urging Iranians to take to the streets again and revive a new wave of protests.
Reuters quoted four current officials familiar with the matter as saying that Iranian officials informed Ali Khamenei during high-level meetings that popular anger resulting from the repression campaign witnessed last month had reached a level where fear was no longer an effective deterrent, in reference to the most severe wave of repression the country has witnessed since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
These officials also reported that Khamenei was informed that large numbers of Iranians were ready to confront the security forces again, and that any external pressure, especially a limited American strike, could represent an incentive that would lead to irreversible damage within the political system.
“Iran’s enemies are seeking to fuel the protests with the aim of ending the Islamic Republic,” one of the officials told Reuters, warning that the outbreak of a new uprising could lead to more violence.
On the other hand, US President Donald Trump stated that a huge naval fleet was on its way to the region off Iran, expressing at the same time his hope that Tehran would agree to return to the negotiating table.
Trump referred to the strikes carried out by Washington against Iranian nuclear facilities in “June 2025,” warning that “the next attack will be much worse,” and calling for action to “not allow that to happen.”
On the other hand, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stressed on Saturday that diplomacy comes first before war, stressing that Tehran believes that any military confrontation will not be in the interest of Iran, the United States, or the region, expressing his hope that the other party will be convinced that the threat and use of force will not force Iran to negotiate.
