Top general warns US will suffer heavy casualties if it attacks Iran

Two US lawmakers introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at supporting human rights in Iran and expanding internet access for Iranians while increasing accountability on Tehran.

House Foreign Affairs Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee Chairman Mike Lawler and Ranking Member Brad Sherman introduced the Iran Human Rights, Internet Freedom, and Accountability Act in Washington on Tuesday.

“The Iranian regime fears one thing above all else: a connected, informed population,” Lawler said in a statement. “Comprehensive legislation is needed to expand internet freedom and target the financial networks of corrupt officials.”

Sherman said the bill seeks to back Iranians protesting for freedom.

“I’m proud to join my colleague Congressman Lawler in introducing legislation to stand with these brave protesters by creating a new, whole of government strategy to take down this regime,” he added.

The bill includes provisions condemning protest crackdowns, calling for the release of political prisoners, expanding funding for internet freedom programs and directing US agencies to develop tools to bypass censorship and disrupt Iranian officials’ financial networks.

A Republican senator said Iran must take President Donald Trump seriously and meet US demands to halt its support for militant groups in the region and its missile program or face military action.

“I think the Iranians are going to have to wake up and take President Trump seriously,” Senator Tom Cotton told Fox News.

“We don’t have to make an offer. Our offer can be, you meet our demands, or we bomb you. That’s our offer,” he added.

“And if they don’t make a more serious offer about stopping their support for terrorism in places like Lebanon and their missile program, I think they’re going to learn the hard way.”

The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has taken the rare step of directly addressing Iranians in Persian, offering guidance on how to establish secure virtual contact amid heightened Iran-US tensions.

"Hello. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) can hear your voice and wants to help you. Below is the necessary guidance on how to securely contact us virtually," the CIA said in its post on X.

The video released by the CIA asks potential informants in Iran to specify what skills and intelligence access they have and how they can help the US intelligence service.

NATO has shifted the focus of its air surveillance operations in Turkey from Russia to Iran as the risk of a US-led military campaign against Tehran rises, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The alliance has increasingly deployed its AWACS radar planes from the central Anatolian city of Konya to monitor Iran, the report said.

The report added that Turkey is making preparations for a possible US-led strike against Iran, a move the sources cited by Bloomberg said could force Tehran to make concessions on a number of issues, including curtailing its nuclear program, followed by a wider attack if Iran refuses to do so.

Turkey has updated its contingency plans to prepare for large numbers of displaced people in the event of a major conflict, the report said.

These options range from setting up camps near the border or entering Iranian territory to stop refugees from crossing into Turkey, Bloomberg added citing its sources.

"The latter would only be considered in the case of a power vacuum in Iran."

The US military has begun moving 12 F-22 stealth fighter jets toward the Middle East after they were stationed at an airbase in the United Kingdom in recent days, The Times of Israel reported citing open-source flight tracking data and aircraft spotters.

The report said the F-22s were seen taking off from Royal Air Force Lakenheath in England and linking up with KC-46 refueling planes as they headed toward the region. The jets had arrived at Lakenheath last week and remained there for several days, reportedly due to issues with refuelers.

Dozens of fighter jets — including F-35s, F-22s, F-15s and F-16s — have been spotted heading to the region in recent days, according to the Military Air Tracking Alliance, a group of open-source analysts that monitors military and government flight activity.

The team also said it tracked dozens of accompanying fuel tankers and hundreds of cargo flights moving into the region since mid-February.