Senior Iranian official Mohammad Marandi warned Gulf residents Saturday evening to evacuate, claiming that if President Trump orders an attack tonight, Iran will launch an immediate and overwhelming response. Marandi urged civilians to leave what he called the 'criminal family dictatorships' in the Persian Gulf.
At 20:51 Jerusalem, Iranian official Mohammad Marandi issued a new warning, telling Gulf residents to evacuate and threatening an 'overwhelming response' if President Trump orders an attack tonight. The statement, which referred to Gulf monarchies as 'criminal family dictatorships,' escalates the rhetoric from Tehran after a series of threats earlier this evening. At 18:37 Jerusalem, the first reports of an Iranian warning emerged, and over the following minutes, The Zioneer published multiple updates identifying Marandi as the source, linking the threat to Trump administration statements, and specifying that the Gulf states, Israel, and Jordan were potential targets for destruction if Iran's civilian infrastructure is struck.
The thread of threats has evolved rapidly. At 18:37 Jerusalem, the first report cited a single-source Iranian statement warning that 'tonight will be the last night of normality in the Gulf.' Within minutes, the desk confirmed that the warning came from Mohammad Marandi, a senior IRGC official and member of Iran's negotiating team. Subsequent versions added that Marandi explicitly cited Trump administration statements as the basis for his warning, and named Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE, Oman, Israel, and Jordan as potential targets. The new threat at 20:51 adds a heightened sense of urgency by claiming a response would be immediate and 'overwhelming.'
This pattern of threats from Marandi is not new. As The Zioneer reported on July 22, Marandi warned that the UAE would be targeted if the US strikes Iranian civilian infrastructure. On July 18, he made a similar threat. The warnings come amid heightened US-Iran tensions, with President Trump having previously stated he is considering strikes on Iranian power plants and bridges, as The Zioneer reported on June 10. The IRGC has also officially ended its 'policy of restraint,' as previously documented by The Zioneer.
No US military action has been reported at this hour. It remains unclear whether Marandi's latest threat reflects official IRGC policy or personal commentary, and whether the warning is based on specific intelligence or is a general deterrent message.
6 developments
- DevelopingIRGC Air Force Commander Warns Gulf States to Take Iran's 'Last Warning' Seriously
- DevelopingIranian negotiator Marandi warns UAE will be next if US strikes on civilian targets continue
- StrongIran threatens: missiles may be launched at Israel tonight if Lebanon strikes continue
- DevelopingIran parliament speaker Ghalibaf warns US in X post after Trump threats
Source and signal
- Open-source intake