A senior Iranian cleric warned on Friday that Iran could strike U.S. linked investments across the Middle East if Washington launches a military attack against the Islamic Republic, according to Iranian state media.
The warning followed renewed pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who said a large American naval force was moving toward Iran but added that he hoped military action would not be necessary. Trump also cautioned Tehran against killing protesters or restarting its nuclear programme.
The exchange highlights rising tensions as Iran faces international scrutiny over its handling of nationwide unrest and its standoff with Washington deepens.
Mohammad Javad Haj Ali Akbari, a senior cleric who leads weekly Friday prayers in Tehran, issued the warning during a sermon attended by thousands.
“The one trillion dollars you have invested in the region is under the watch of our missiles,” Haj Ali Akbari said, without specifying which U.S. linked investments he was referring to.
Iranian media described the remarks as a response to what officials view as escalating military threats from Washington.
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Separately, Iran’s chief prosecutor Mohammad Movahedi denied claims that Tehran had halted plans to execute hundreds of people detained during recent protests.
“This claim is completely false,” Movahedi said, according to the judiciary run Mizan news agency. “No such number exists, nor has the judiciary made any such decision.”
Trump had earlier alleged that Iran had suspended the execution of 800 protesters, a claim Iranian officials have repeatedly rejected.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi also dismissed the allegations in an interview with Fox News last week, saying there was “no plan for hanging at all” when questioned about the protests.
The United Nations Human Rights Council was scheduled to hold an emergency session on Friday to address what it described as alarming violence used against protesters in Iran.
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A group of countries is expected to call on UN investigators to collect evidence of alleged abuses for potential future prosecutions.
Rights organisations say thousands of people, including bystanders, were killed during the unrest, which they describe as the most serious challenge to Iran’s clerical leadership since 2022. Iranian authorities dispute those figures.
