Iran warns of retaliation if Trump strikes, as U.S. withdraws some personnel from Mideast bases
'All the signals are that a U.S. attack is imminent,' Western military official says
The United States is withdrawing some personnel from bases in the Middle East, a U.S. official said on Wednesday, after a senior Iranian official said Tehran had warned neighbours it would hit American bases if Washington strikes.
With Iran's leadership trying to quell the worst domestic unrest the country has ever faced, Tehran is seeking to deter U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated threats to intervene on behalf of anti-government protesters.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the United States was pulling some personnel from key bases in the region as a precaution, given heightened regional tensions.
Britain was also withdrawing some personnel from an airbase in Qatar ahead of possible U.S. strikes, a source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said the department did not comment on details of basing and deployments due to security.
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"The U.K. always puts precautionary measures in place to ensure the security and safety of our personnel, including, where necessary, withdrawing personnel," the spokesperson said.
Two European officials said U.S. military intervention could come in the next 24 hours. An Israeli official also said it appeared Trump had decided to intervene, though the scope and timing remained unclear.
"All the signals are that a U.S. attack is imminent, but that is also how this administration behaves to keep everyone on their toes. Unpredictability is part of the strategy," a Western military official told Reuters later on Wednesday.
Iran shut its airspace to commercial flights early Thursday morning for several hours, without explanation, forcing airlines to cancel, reroute or delay some flights, amid concerns about possible military action between the United States and Iran.
The notice to pilots said the closure was estimated to end at 7:30 a.m. local time. Flight-tracking website FlightRadar24.com show aircraft flying around Iran from its north and south.
Canadian killed
The death toll from the unrest has surpassed 2,600, according to U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), as Tehran stepped up diplomatic contacts with U.S.-allies in the region.
Global Affairs Canada (GAC) confirmed to CBC News on Wednesday that it is aware of the death of a Canadian in Iran, but provided no further details.
GAC is advising Canadians in Iran to leave the country now if they can do so safely, and to register to receive important updates.
Iranian authorities have accused the U.S. and Israel of fomenting the unrest, carried out by people it calls armed terrorists.
U.S. President Donald Trump has vowed "very strong action" if Iran started executing protesters, but didn't elaborate.
"If they hang them, you're going to see some things," he told CBS News on Tuesday. He also urged Iranians on Tuesday to keep protesting and take over institutions, declaring "help is on the way" but without giving details.
Trump has said military action is among the options he is weighing to punish Iran over the crackdown. Iran has vowed to retaliate in the event of military action.
The U.S. State Department earlier this week urged American citizens to leave Iran.
But Trump made a vague statement Wednesday that he's been told that planned executions in Iran have stopped, even as Tehran has indicated fast trials and executions are ahead in its crackdown on protesters.
"We've been told that the killing in Iran is stopping — it's stopped — it's stopping," Trump said at the White House while signing executive orders and legislation. "And there's no plan for executions, or an execution, or executions — so I've been told that on good authority."
He did not specify where he had received that information. Trump said he would "find out" later if it was true, but didn't explain how.
"I hope it's true," he said. "Who knows?"
Iranian officials project calm
The protests, which began on Dec. 28 in response to soaring inflation, have spiralled into one of the biggest challenges to Iran's clerical establishment since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Iran's chief justice, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, has said speedy judgment and punishments are critical to preventing further uprisings.
There will be "no leniency for whoever helps [Iran's] enemy," he said last week.
Hengaw, an Iranian Kurdish rights group, has reported that a 26-year-old man, Erfan Soltani, arrested in connection with protests in the city of Karaj, was to be executed on Wednesday.
Hengaw told Reuters on Wednesday it had not been able to confirm whether Soltani's sentence had been carried out due to the internet and communications shutdown. Reuters could not independently confirm the report.
Iranian state media reported that the head of Iran's top security body had spoken to the foreign minister of Qatar and that Iran's foreign minister had spoken to his Emirati and Turkish counterparts. The countries are all U.S. allies.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed that "calm has prevailed" and that Iranians were determined to defend their sovereignty and security from any foreign interference, state media reported.
The flow of information from Iran has been hampered by an internet blackout. Holistic Resilience, a U.S. organization that works to expand information access in repressive or closed societies, said on Tuesday that billionaire Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet service was now available for free in Iran.
State TV said that a funeral procession will take place on Wednesday in Tehran for more than 100 civilians and security personnel killed in the unrest.
While Iranian authorities have weathered previous protests, the latest unrest is taking place with Tehran still recovering from last year's war and with its regional position weakened by blows to allies such as Lebanon's Hezbollah since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks in Israel.
Trump on Monday announced 25 per cent import tariffs on products from any country doing business with Iran, which is a major oil exporter.
Russia on Tuesday condemned "subversive external interference" in Iran's internal politics, saying any repeat of last year's U.S. strikes would have "disastrous consequences" for the Middle East and international security.
With files from The Associated Press