Iran The supreme leader warned that any attack on the country by the United States would trigger a “regional war” in the Middle East, following threats by President Trump to intervene militarily in response to the Islamic Republic’s attacks. crackdown on recent nationwide protests.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s remarks, made to a crowd at his compound in Tehran and cited by the Tasnim news agency, constitute the most direct threat he has made so far since the arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier group in international waters off Iran in the Persian Gulf.
Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP 
Mr. Trump also mentioned his desire to curb Iran’s nuclear program in his recent remarks, but it remains unclear whether he will use force. He has repeatedly said that Iran wants to negotiate.
U.S. regional allies, including Turkey and Qatar, are hastily scrambling to organize a diplomatic exit to avoid U.S. military action in Iran. A possible meeting in Turkey is planned for this week, although a senior U.S. official told CBS it is unclear whether the United States will participate and who will attend the meeting with the Iranians.
He said he wanted to continue negotiations last year before deciding to strike Iran’s nuclear sites last June, supporting Israel’s 12-day war against the country. On Saturday, Mr. Trump declined to say whether he had decided now what he wanted to do regarding Iran.
In Tehran, Khamenei said the United States was interested in the country’s oil, natural gas and other mineral resources. He said the Americans wanted to “take over this country, just like they controlled it before.”
“The Americans must be aware that if they fight a war this time, it will be a regional war,” he said.
The Supreme Leader added: “We are not the instigators, we will not be unfair to anyone, we do not intend to attack any country. But if someone shows greed and wants to attack or harass, the Iranian nation will deal them a heavy blow.”
Speaking to reporters upon his arrival at the wedding of Dan Scavino, White House deputy chief of staff, and Erin Elmore, US State Department embassy artistic director, at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday, Mr. Trump responded to Khamenei’s comments by saying: “Of course he’s going to say that.”
“We have the biggest, most powerful ships in the world there in a few days, and I hope we come to a deal. If we don’t make a deal, then we’ll find out whether he was right or not,” Mr. Trump said.
Majid Saeedi/Getty Images 
Khamenei also hardened his stance on recent protests after acknowledging that some demonstrators had legitimate economic grievances. The protests began on December 28, initially over the collapse of the Iranian rial. This quickly turned into a direct challenge to Khamenei’s regime.
“The recent sedition amounted to a coup d’état,” he said. “Of course, the coup was suppressed. Their goal was to destroy the sensitive and effective centers involved in running the country, and for this reason, they attacked the police, government centers, (Revolutionary Guard) facilities, banks and mosques – and burned copies of the Quran. They targeted the centers that run the country.”
The US news agency Human Rights Activists News Agency, which relies on a network of sources in Iran to gather its information, says it has verified the deaths of 6,713 people, mostly protesters, and that authorities have arrested at least 49,500 people so far. The Associated Press was unable to independently assess the death toll and number of arrests, given that authorities have cut off Iran’s internet from the rest of the world. Other sources have told CBS News and other media outlets that the actual death toll across the country is significantly higher.
As of January 21, the Iranian government put the death toll at a much lower figure of 3,117, saying 2,427 were civilians and members of the security forces, calling the rest “terrorists.” In the past, Iran’s theocracy has underreported or not reported deaths from unrest.
Even this government figure exceeds the death toll reported in any other wave of protests or unrest in Iran in decades and is reminiscent of the chaos that surrounded the 1979 revolution.
Iran has planned a live-fire military exercise on Sunday and Monday in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all oil traded passes. U.S. Army Central Command, which is the Pentagon’s regional command for the Middle East, warned of any threats to U.S. warships or aircraft during the exercise or any disruption to commercial traffic.
