Mohammad Marandi, an advisor to the Iranian negotiating team, said Saturday evening that tonight may be 'the last night of daily life in the Middle East' in light of expected US threats. The warning follows earlier IRGC threats to Gulf states, as reported by The Zioneer earlier today.
Mohammad Marandi, an advisor to Iran's negotiating team, escalated his rhetoric sharply Saturday evening, warning that tonight may be 'the last night of daily life in the Middle East' in light of expected US threats. The statement, first reported by Israeli media, marks the latest in a rapid sequence of threats from Tehran as the region braces for potential US strikes. Marandi's warning came at 18:37 Jerusalem time, within minutes of earlier statements in which he threatened an 'overwhelming response' and named specific regional targets.
The thread of threats began Saturday evening with a single-source report that Iran warned 'tonight will be the last night of normality in the Gulf.' Within minutes, the same source identified the speaker as an IRGC senior official, Mohammad Marandi, who called on Gulf residents to evacuate and threatened to destroy infrastructure in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE, and possibly Oman, as well as Israel and Jordan, if Iran's civilian infrastructure is attacked. As The Zioneer reported earlier today, that initial IRGC threat specifically named the five Gulf states and called for immediate evacuation. Marandi's subsequent statements, published at the same time, refined the threat: he cited the Trump administration's statements as the trigger, warned of an 'overwhelming response,' and specified that Iran's response would begin 'immediately' if President Trump orders an attack tonight.
The escalation comes amid a broader collapse of US-Iran diplomatic efforts, as The Zioneer reported on Thursday, July 2, when negotiations were heading toward breakdown. The Zioneer has also documented Marandi's role as a regime insider who has previously dismissed US warnings and expressed readiness for war. On Wednesday, July 29, Israel was notified that the US may launch widespread strikes on Iran tonight, providing the strategic backdrop for the current threats. The Iranian warnings appear designed to deter a US attack by threatening regional destabilization, drawing on the IRGC's declared end of its 'policy of restraint' earlier this year.
It remains unclear whether the US will indeed strike tonight, and whether Iran's threats are operational plans or rhetorical posturing. The initial warning was based on a single source, though subsequent statements have been attributed to Marandi by multiple news outlets. The actual military posture of both sides—and the response of Gulf states, which have not publicly commented—remains unverified.
7 developments
- StrongMarandi says 'time to evacuate' Gulf states in latest response to Trump threat
- DevelopingSenior Iranian official says Iran will attack 'strongly' starting tonight
- StrongIranian official warns of 'strong response' to any US attack; reported evacuations from Tehran
- DevelopingIran negotiator Marandi warns Tehran can 'crush Trump's economy'
Source and signal
- Open-source intake