The Middle East is worried about a possible US strike on Iran as Trump makes threats

Iranian officials reached out to the Middle East on Wednesday about the threat of a possible US military strike on the country, and Iran’s currency hit a month’s low after protests spread across the country and sparked bloody violence.

Two countries, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have signed that they will not allow their airspace to be used for any attack. But America has moved the USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided-missile destroyers to the area, which can be used to launch attacks at sea.

It is not clear what the US President Donald Trump will decide about the use of force, although he has set two red lines – the killing of peaceful protesters and the killing of many people who may be prisoners. The protests have killed at least 6,221 people as Iran begins a bloody crackdown on the protests, with many more feared dead, activists said on Wednesday.

“We hope that Iran will soon ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS – that is good for all parties,” Trump wrote in his Public Truth forum on Wednesday. “Time flies, it’s really the essence!”

Referring to the June strikes on Iran as the US plunges into Israel’s 12-day war with the Islamic Republic, Trump wrote: “The next attack will be worse!”

Iran’s official at the United Nations quickly responded to Trump, tweeting on X that “Iran is ready for a dialogue based on mutual respect and common interests – BUT IF PUSHED, IT WILL DEFEND ITSELF AND RESPOND LIKE NEVER BEFORE!”

Iran’s state-run media, which now calls protesters “terrorists,” has remained a source of news for many since Tehran cut off access to the world’s internet three weeks ago. But Iranians are angry and worried, seeing images of protesters being shot dead while worrying about what might happen next as the economy — the focus of the protests — falters.

“I feel that my generation failed to give a better lesson to the young,” said Mohammad Heidari, a 59-year-old teacher in Tehran. “The result of decades of teaching by my colleagues and I has resulted in thousands of deaths, and perhaps even more injuries and prisoners.”

Diplomacy between Iran, Arab nations

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said its top diplomat, Badr Abdelatty, spoke separately with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US Middle East Ambassador Steve Witkoff to “work for calm, to avoid the region entering a new state of instability.”

The statement did not provide details, although Iranian state media quoted Araghchi as saying third-party mediators were in contact. Witkoff, a billionaire real estate developer and friend of Trump, has previously discussed Iran’s nuclear program. There was no immediate acknowledgment from the White House of the call.

The Turkish foreign minister also spoke by phone with Araghchi about reducing regional tensions. Turkish officials have expressed concern that intervention in Iran could cause instability or trigger an influx of refugees.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman held a phone call with Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian, saying the kingdom “will not allow its airspace or territory to be used for any military actions against Iran or for any attack by any group, regardless of where it comes from.” That follows a similar pledge by the UAE.

The main US base in the region is the large Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which serves as the forward operating headquarters of the US military’s Central Command. Both Araghchi and Ali Larijani, Iran’s top security official, held calls with Qatari prime minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. Qatar acknowledged the calls but gave few details about what was discussed.

Iran attacked Al Udeid in June when it responded to Trump by sending US warplanes to bomb Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities during last year’s war.

“Our position is this: Using diplomacy through military threats will not work or build,” Araghchi told reporters on Wednesday outside a cabinet meeting. “If they want negotiations to begin, they must abandon threats, excessive demands and the raising of unreasonable issues. Negotiations have their own goals: They must be conducted in an equitable manner, based on mutual respect, and to benefit each other.”

Activists give a new death toll

While protests were halted for weeks after the crackdown, information from Iran using Starlink satellite dishes reached activists, who were trying to coordinate the massacre.

On Wednesday, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been reporting on much of the unrest in Iran, said at least 6,221 people had died, including at least 5,858 protesters, 214 pro-government soldiers, 100 children and 49 civilians who were bystanders. More than 42,300 have been arrested, it added.

The group confirms each death and is linked to a network of activists on the ground in Iran. The Associated Press was unable to independently verify the death toll as authorities cut off the Internet and jammed calls into the Islamic Republic.

Iran’s government put the death toll at 3,117, saying 2,427 were civilians and security forces, and called the others “terrorists.” In the past, the democratic regime of Iran has either counted or not reported the killings due to unrest.

That death toll exceeds that of any other cycle of protest or unrest in Iran in decades, and recalls the turmoil surrounding the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The protests began on December 28, triggered by the collapse of the Iranian currency, the rial, and quickly spread. The country has experienced more than two weeks of internet blackouts, the longest in its history.

On Wednesday, Iran also announced the execution of Hamidreza Sabet, a man convicted of being an Israeli spy. Sabet’s execution marks the 13th time Iran has carried out an attack on alleged Israeli spies since the June war.