Iran International: US may strike Iran "in coming weeks"

The United States is expected to strike Iran “in the coming weeks,” sources familiar with the matter told Iran International. 

On January 11, the sources said that a large amount of military equipment had been deployed to the Middle East over the past week, and that this process would continue in the coming days.

According to the sources, Israel would participate in the operation only after the US takes action, and only if the Islamic Republic attacks Israel or shows clear signs of intent to do so.

In recent days, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly spoken of the possibility of intervention in Iran, warning Iranian authorities against suppressing protesters.

Protests in Iran have been ongoing since December 28, 2025, when shopkeepers and merchants in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar and other commercial centres shut their shops and took to the streets to protest a deepening economic crisis marked by soaring inflation, skyrocketing food prices and the sharp collapse of the Iranian rial to record lows.

Rights group HRANA reports that at least 116 people, including 38 security personnel, have died during demonstrations, seven of them under 18. Authorities have arrested at least 2,638 people since the protests began.

The unrest has spread across the country, with 574 protest locations identified in 185 cities across all 31 provinces, reflecting the nationwide scale of the demonstrations. In response, Iranian authorities have frequently restricted internet access and social media platforms, aiming to disrupt communication among protesters and control information.

By Khagan Isayev