Iran has warned it will retaliate if the United States launches an attack, as nationwide protests entered their third week and tensions with Washington escalated.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene to protect demonstrators amid a deadly crackdown by Iranian security forces.

Speaking on the crisis, Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, said Israel, along with US military forces and shipping centres in the region, would become legitimate targets if Washington attacked. He went further by directly threatening Israel — which he called “the occupied territory” — and the US military, raising the possibility of a pre-emptive strike.

Iranian authorities accuse Washington and Israel of fomenting the unrest, with security officials saying they have intensified efforts to deal with the “rioters”.

Despite the crackdown, demonstrators again flooded the streets of the capital and other cities from Saturday night into Sunday, defying government warnings.

Human rights groups say at least 116 people have been killed and more than 2,600 detained since the protests began. However, with an ongoing internet blackout limiting information from inside the country, the full scale of the unrest remains unclear.

The demonstrations began in late December over soaring prices before evolving into broader protests against Iran’s clerical rulers, who have governed since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

It is still uncertain how serious Tehran is about launching a strike, particularly after its air defences were damaged during a 12-day war with Israel in June.

Any decision to go to war would ultimately rest with Iran’s 86-year-old Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (Arise News)

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