IRGC declares all US bases in the region “legitimate targets” if Washington intervenes in Iran’s internal affairs.
Response directly counters President Trump’s vow of decisive U.S. action should Iran violently suppress ongoing peaceful protests.
Statements heighten risks of confrontation amid protests over economy and freedoms, with US forces on alert across the Middle East
Iran has declared all US military bases in the region “legitimate targets” in response to President Donald Trump’s sharp warning that the United States would intervene if Tehran violently suppressed the ongoing peaceful protests gripping the country.
In a strongly worded statement issued by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Friday, spokesperson Brigadier General Ramezan Sharif said: “Any American base in the Persian Gulf, Iraq, Syria or elsewhere is now considered a legitimate military target if the US dares to interfere in Iran’s internal affairs or supports the rioters.” The IRGC described Trump’s remarks as “blatant aggression” and “psychological warfare” aimed at destabilising the Islamic Republic.
The escalation follows Trump’s Thursday statement outside the White House, where he vowed decisive US intervention — including unspecified military options — should Iran use force to crush the demonstrations that have spread across Tehran, Isfahan, Tabriz, Mashhad and other cities since late December. Protesters are demanding an end to economic hardship, power cuts, corruption and restrictions on freedoms.
Iranian state media portrayed the protests as the work of “foreign-backed elements” and “Zionist agents”, claiming security forces were exercising “necessary restraint”. Official figures acknowledge 12 deaths and hundreds injured since the unrest began, though human rights groups report higher casualties and widespread arrests.
The IRGC’s warning comes amid heightened regional tensions: US forces in Iraq and Syria have been on high alert since the Trump administration reinstated “maximum pressure” sanctions in 2025, while Iran continues uranium enrichment beyond JCPOA limits. Analysts warn that designating US bases as targets revives the “Axis of Resistance” rhetoric last seen prominently in 2020 after the Soleimani assassination.
US officials have not yet formally responded to the IRGC statement, but Pentagon spokespersons reiterated that American forces remain “postured to defend themselves and US interests” in the region.
