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Iran has warned that it would strike U.S. targets in the Gulf if attacked, as Washington reportedly delays decisions on possible military action amid allied consultations, rising regional tensions and escalating unrest inside Iran.
Georgetown University professor Mehran Kamrava said the relocation of some U.S. personnel from Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base reflects growing concern over a potential direct confrontation between the United States and Iran.
Qatar confirmed that some U.S. troops were moved from the base as a precautionary measure, stressing that the move does not indicate an imminent threat. Kamrava said Qatar’s central role makes it particularly vulnerable if the crisis escalates.
Kamrava said Iran has formally informed both the Qatari and Saudi Arabian governments that it would strike U.S. targets in their countries in the event of an American attack.
He said Iran’s options have narrowed following what he described as the collapse of the “axis of resistance,” pushing Tehran toward direct retaliation using ballistic missiles rather than indirect conflict.
Kamrava said Iran’s leadership would have little political room to avoid retaliation if attacked, warning that failure to respond would carry severe domestic political costs.
He cited past crises, including the killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani in 2020 and attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025, saying Iran’s response pattern has been consistent.
U.S. President Donald Trump has postponed a decision on potential military strikes against Iran to consult with administration officials and regional partners, according to media reports.
A U.S. source told Axios that Trump is not ruling out any options. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly urged Trump to delay action to give Israel more time to prepare defenses against possible Iranian retaliation.
The U.S. military has begun evacuating personnel from bases across the Middle East and deploying reinforcements, including the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group. Additional fighter jets, attack aircraft, refueling planes and air defense systems are also being sent to the region, according to U.S. officials.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said pressure from Trump led to the postponement of 800 planned executions of protesters in Iran. Trump has warned Tehran that Washington would take “very strong action” if executions were carried out and said “help is on its way” for the Iranian people.
The U.S. Treasury has also imposed sanctions on Ali Larijani, secretary general of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and other officials linked to the crackdown on protests.
At an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council, Russia accused Washington and its allies of acting as “hostile external forces” seeking to exploit Iran’s unrest to overthrow its government.
Russia’s U.N. envoy Vassily Nebenzia said the U.S. and its allies were fueling instability to advance political goals, accusing them of exploiting Iran’s economic and social difficulties caused by sanctions.
Nebenzia warned that Washington’s threats to use military force violate international law and risk repeating what he described as the “tragedy” of June 2025, when U.S.-Israeli actions nearly triggered a major nuclear catastrophe. He urged the U.S. and its partners to refrain from further steps involving Iranian nuclear facilities.
Iran’s deputy U.N. envoy Gholamhossein Darzi said Iran seeks neither escalation nor confrontation but warned that any act of aggression would be met with a “decisive, proportionate and lawful response.”
Darzi accused the U.S. of misrepresenting the situation to conceal its involvement in steering unrest toward violence, saying initially peaceful protests that began on Dec. 28 were hijacked by organized armed groups.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency said the death toll from Iran’s protests has reached 2,677, with at least 19,097 people detained. Iranian authorities have not released official casualty figures.
The protests began in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar over soaring inflation, the collapsing rial and worsening economic conditions, before spreading nationwide and evolving into broader anti-government demonstrations involving workers, students and other groups.
Kamrava said the only way to prevent further escalation would be a sober assessment of consequences, warning that striking Iran would inevitably result in attacks on U.S. targets across the region.
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