Iran protests latest: Fears of major escalation with US after Trump trades threats with Tehran over widespread protests

Turkey has warned that foreign intervention in Iran will lead to a “crisis” for the wider region, in an apparent message to Donald Trump not to launch strikes against the country.

Ankara called for U.S. and Iranian negotiations to resolve existing problems.

Iran is facing its biggest demonstrations since 2022 and Trump has threatened to get involved if force is used against protesters. Human rights organisations say hundreds of protesters are likely to have been killed.

NATO member Turkey does not wish to see chaos in Iran despite “certain problems within Iranian society and government”, Omer Celik, spokesperson for Turkey’s ruling Party, said.

“As Iranian President (Masoud) Pezeshkian has stated, these problems must be resolved through the internal dynamics of Iranian society and the national will of Iran,” Celik told a press conference after a meeting of the ruling party.

“We believe that foreign intervention will lead to even worse consequences, and that intervention provoked by Israel in particular will lead to even greater crises.”

Yvette Cooper told her Iranian counterpart on Monday that his government must immediately end the violence against protesters in the country.

“The killing & brutal repression of peaceful protesters in Iran is horrific,” the foreign secretary said on social media platform X.

“I have spoken to (Iranian) Foreign Minister Araghchi and told him directly: the Iranian government must immediately end the violence, uphold fundamental rights and freedoms, and ensure British nationals are safe.”

Iran has threatened retaliatory attacks against Israel and US military centres in the Middle East after tensions escalated amid widespread demonstrations against Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Several US military bases lie within reach of Iran’s short-range weapons, according to estimates by the CSIS Missile Defence Project in the New York Times.

These include bases and military sites in Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates — all of which may be at risk of Iranian retaliation with short-range weapons.

In the wider region, the US operates a broad network of sites across at least 19 locations, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.

Here are the bases below.

Iran has threatened it is ‘ready for war’ following Donald Trump’s warning of military action over the ongoing crackdown on anti-government protests.

Read all you need to know in just five bullet points with The Independent’s Bulletin:

Turkey has said that any foreign intervention Iran would lead to greater crises in the country and the region, as it called for a resolution between Washington and Tehran.

Nato member Turkey does not wish to see chaos in Iran despite “certain problems within Iranian society and government”, Omer Celik, spokesperson for Turkey’s ruling AK Party, said.

“As Iranian president [Masoud] Pezeshkian has stated, these problems must be resolved through the internal dynamics of Iranian society and the national will of Iran,” Celik told a press conference after a meeting of the ruling party.

“We believe that foreign intervention will lead to even worse consequences, and that intervention provoked by Israel in particular will lead to even greater crises.”

European Parliament president Roberta Metsola has banned all diplomatic staff and any other representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran from all European Parliament premises, she said on social media X on Monday.

“It cannot be business as usual,” she wrote.

“As the brave people of Iran continue to stand up for their rights and their liberty, today I have taken the decision to ban all diplomatic staff and any other representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran from all European Parliament premises.

“This House will not aid in legitimising this regime that has sustained itself through torture, repression and murder,” the post added.

Donald Trump has said that he plans to speak with Elon Musk about restoring internet in Iran, where authorities blacked out service amid ongoing anti-government protests.

“He’s very good at that kind of thing, he’s got a very good company,” Trump told reporters in response to a question about whether he would engage with Musk’s SpaceX company, which offers a satellite internet service called Starlink that has been used in Iran.

Musk and Trump have held an on-again, off-again relationship after the billionaire helped fund Trump’s winning presidential campaign and subsequently orchestrated massive cuts to the federal government.

Musk and SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Editorial: Iran’s unremittingly harsh leadership faces one of the most serious challenges to its theocratic rule since the Islamic Republic was established in 1979.

After weeks of nationwide protests, the ayatollahs’ spell could soon be broken – which is how counter-revolutions begin, and governments fall