Dubai, 12 January (H.S.): Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned on Sunday, January 11, that U.S. military bases, vessels, and Israel would constitute legitimate targets should America launch strikes to shield Iranian protesters, as the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported 538 fatalities—490 civilians and 48 security personnel—amid a fortnight of unrest that has detained over 10,600 individuals nationwide.

Escalating Casualties Amid Communication Blackout

Protests, sparked December 28 by the Iranian rial's plunge past 1.4 million to the dollar amid sanction-induced hyperinflation, have evolved into direct assaults on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's theocracy, surpassing the 2022 Mahsa Amini uprising in scope and lethality.

HRANA's tally, corroborated through local networks despite a Thursday-imposed internet shutdown harsher than prior crackdowns, documents 217 Tehran deaths on January 8 alone from live ammunition, with Rasht hospitals receiving 70 bodies Friday and Tehran's wards overwhelmed by 38 head-and-heart gunshot victims.

Kahrizak morgue footage reveals 180 outdoor body bags amid anguished searches, as state media spotlights security funerals while claiming 109 personnel losses.Regime Hardens Stance as Protests PersistKhamenei dismissed crowds as Trump-pleasing vandals, with Attorney General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri invoking enemy of God death penalties; President Masoud Pezeshkian blamed U.S.-Israeli terrorists for arsons, though verified videos depict security forces firing on rallies in Tehran, Mashhad, Kermanshah, Bushehr, and Ilam.

Reza Pahlavi, exiled son of the last Shah, urged Sunday gatherings in groups, pledging solidarity and alleging mercenary shortages—claims unverified—while drones surveil fluid, pot-banging demonstrations in Punak, Gisha, and Heravi.

Global Tensions and U.S. Posturing

President Donald Trump affirmed U.S. readiness to aid Iran's FREEDOM pursuit, weighing airstrikes, cyberattacks, or sanctions per White House sources, as Israel monitors closely following Netanyahu-Rubio talks. Qalibaf's preemptive threat echoes June's air defense losses to Israel; Pope Leo XIV decried the massive claim on lives, while London's Iranian embassy flag removals prompted ambassador summons.State TV broadcast calm excluding Tehran and Mashhad, as Ali Larijani likened rioters to ISIS amid Fars and Khorasan clashes.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar