Iran says US seeking 'pretext for military intervention'

Tehran accuses US of seeking to manufacture pretext for intervention

Last updated: January 14, 2026 | 05:45

1 MIN READ

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026.

UGC via AP

Iran's government on Tuesday accused the United States of seeking to manufacture a pretext for military intervention, after US President Donald Trump threatened "strong action" over the deadly crackdown on mass protests.

"US fantasies and policy toward Iran are rooted in regime change, with sanctions, threats, engineered unrest, and chaos serving as the modus operandi to manufacture a pretext for military intervention," Iran's UN mission posted on X, vowing that Washington's "playbook" would "fail again."

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