Iran’s parliamentary speaker warned on Saturday that Tehran could carry out preemptive strikes against Israel and U.S. military assets in the region, sharply escalating rhetoric as tensions rise across the Middle East.

Speaking during a session of parliament broadcast live on Iranian state television, Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Israel — which he referred to as “the occupied territory” — as well as U.S. military centers, bases and ships would be considered “legitimate targets” in the event of an attack on Iran, according to media reports.

“We do not consider ourselves limited to reacting after the action,” Qalibaf said. “We will act based on any objective signs of a threat.”

The remarks followed media accounts that U.S. President Donald Trump had been presented with military options for a possible strike on Iran, though no final decision had been made. Trump has warned Tehran that Washington would intervene if protesters were killed in the ongoing demonstrations across Iran.

“Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before,” Trump posted on Truth Social late Saturday, adding that the U.S. “stands ready to help.”

Qalibaf also praised Iran’s security forces for their response to recent protests, applauding police and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, particularly its volunteer Basij militia, for having “stood firm.”

“The people of Iran should know that we will deal with them in the most severe way and punish those who are arrested,” Qalibaf said, referring to demonstrators.

Protests in Iran erupted in the final week of 2025, driven by public anger over the country’s dire economic situation. They have morphed into open opposition to the country’s clerical leadership.

With the internet restricted in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. But activists claim violence surrounding the demonstrations has killed at least 116 people, the Associated Press reported.

Some 2,600 people have been detained, according to the latest reports from U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.