Iran warns it will hit US bases after Trump said considering strikes

Senior Iranian officials warned on Sunday that the national government would retaliate against US military bases across the Middle East and Israel if Washington were to strike first, Report informs referring to Investing.com.

The warning came from Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, after US officials said the Trump administration was examining preliminary scenarios for striking Iranian military sites.

Ghalibaf said Iran would respond not only by targeting American bases in the region, but also by hitting key Middle Eastern shipping lanes and Israel.

The United States maintains major air and naval installations in countries including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Qatar, making them potential flashpoints in any escalation.

Iran has previously demonstrated its willingness to strike US facilities in the region, including an attack on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar last June following US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Ghalibaf also raised the possibility of a pre-emptive Iranian strike, echoing remarks made by other senior officials in recent days. As parliamentary speaker, he ranks among Iran's most powerful figures, behind only the supreme leader and the president.

A former commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, he retains close ties to the paramilitary force, lending additional weight to his warnings as tensions between Tehran and Washington remain high.

Ghalibaf's comments came after the Wall Street Journal noted that US has been reviewing military options in response to President Donald Trump's repeated threats to intervene if Iran carries out a violent crackdown on protesters.