Iranian officials fear U.S. strikes could ignite new wave of mass protests
Officials in Tehran warn that United States military options could trigger mass protests. This threat follows the bloodiest domestic crackdown since 1979.
Six current and former officials told Reuters that the leadership in Iran 
IRis increasingly concerned that a potential strike by the United States 
UScould break its grip on power by driving an enraged public back onto the streets. The officials worry that external military pressure could combine with acute domestic volatility to threaten the stability of the ruling system. This internal anxiety follows a period of significant unrest and a subsequent government response that has left the political establishment feeling vulnerable to further disruption.
IRis increasingly concerned that a potential strike by the United States UScould break its grip on power by driving an enraged public back onto the streets. The officials worry that external military pressure could combine with acute domestic volatility to threaten the stability of the ruling system. This internal anxiety follows a period of significant unrest and a subsequent government response that has left the political establishment feeling vulnerable to further disruption.In high-level meetings, officials reportedly informed Supreme Leader ayatollah ali khamenei that public anger over the crackdown last month has reached a point where fear is no longer a deterrent. These accounts were provided by four current officials who were briefed on the discussions. The sources declined to say how ayatollah ali khamenei responded to these warnings. Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry of Irandid not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the accounts of these high-level meetings.
