WW3 fears soar as Iran warns US troops are 'legitimate targets' after Trump's threat

World War 3 fears have exploded after a senior Iranian official sent a chilling warning in response to a bombshell threat from Donald Trump. The top official condemned President Trump’s threat that the US would come to the aid of protesters in the country facing violence, warning that the Islamic Republic could retaliate against American bases and troops in the region.

Speaker of Iran’s parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, was responding to Trump’s warning on Truth Social that his administration is "locked and loaded and ready to go" to come to the rescue of "peaceful protesters" if Iran shoots and "violently kills" them. "Moreover, the disrespectful President of America should also know that with this official admission, all American centers and forces across the entire region will be legitimate targets for us in response to any potential adventurism," Ghalibaf wrote on X.

"Iranians have always been united and determined to act in the face of an aggressor enemy," he added.

At least seven people have been killed in violence surrounding demonstrations that have taken place for nearly a week.

Mr Trump imposed sanctions on Iranian officials in response to the regime’s violence against protesters, part of a "maximum pressure campaign" of sanctions to squeeze the country’s ability to fund its nuclear programs.

A new escalation skyrocketed after the US bombed Iranian nuclear sites in June, alongside Israeli strikes on the country.

Iran retaliated by launching an attack on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which hosts American troops. No one was injured, but the attack caused some damage.

At the time, President Trump claimed that the US strikes "obliterated" Iran’s nuclear capabilities, but he suggested on Monday that Iran was rebuilding and warned that the U.S. "can’t let them build up because if they build up, there can’t be peace in the Middle East".