Israel army chief says war with Iran may last until April

A prisoner inside Tehran Greater Prison says security forces attacked inmates with weapons and tear gas after areas around the facility were targeted by airstrikes.

In a message sent from inside the prison, the inmate said guards launched the assault shortly after areas surrounding Tehran Greater Prison were hit.

According to the message, prison officials used firearms and tear gas against inmates following the incident.

The prisoner also described worsening living conditions inside the facility, saying detainees are facing shortages of water and food.

Gas supplies are being cut off intermittently, and the prison store is not operating, leaving many essential items unavailable to inmates, the prisoner added.

A banner published by the US Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service lists the wanted officials and figures as Mojtaba Khamenei, his slain father's deputy chief of staff Ali Asghar Hejazi, and top security official Ali Larijani.

Other names in the list include Yahya Rahim Safavi, a senior military adviser to the Supreme Leader, Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, and Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib.

Four additional positions are referenced without names in the banner: the secretary of the Supreme Defense Council, the head of the Supreme Leader’s military office, the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader.

According to the text on the banner, these individuals are described as key leaders involved in commanding and directing different branches of the IRGC, which it says are responsible for planning, organizing and carrying out operations globally.

The Rewards for Justice program says individuals with information about these figures or about senior IRGC commanders and their affiliated networks may contact the program through encrypted messaging platforms or through a communication channel based on the Tor network.

The banner says that eligible information could lead to a reward of up to $10 million.

A Marine expeditionary unit carrying about 2,200 Marines aboard three US Navy amphibious ships has been ordered to deploy to the Middle East, two US officials told ABC News, as the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed due to Iranian missile and drone attacks.

The Japan-based amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli and the Marines assigned to it are now heading toward the Middle East as part of the reinforcement, The Wall Street Journal reported citing US officials.

Marine expeditionary units are designed for rapid-response missions and typically operate from amphibious assault ships capable of supporting a wide range of military operations, from crisis response to combat deployments.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth has approved a request from US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees American military operations in the region, to deploy elements of the amphibious ready group along with an attached Marine expeditionary unit, the WSJ report said.

Speaking on Fox News Radio's The Brian Kilmeade Show, Trump said security forces loyal to the Islamic Republic routinely shoot demonstrators in the streets, making it difficult for unarmed civilians to challenge the regime despite growing pressure from the ongoing conflict.

“They literally have people in the streets with machine guns, machine-gunning people down if they want to protest,” Trump said, referring to Iran’s security forces. “That’s a pretty big hurdle to climb for people that don’t have weapons.”

Trump said that while change inside Iran will eventually happen, it is unlikely to occur quickly under such conditions.

“It’ll happen,” he said, “but it probably will be — maybe not immediately.”

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Speaking on Fox News Radio's The Brian Kilmeade Show, Trump said security forces loyal to the Islamic Republic routinely shoot demonstrators in the streets, making it difficult for unarmed civilians to challenge the regime despite growing pressure from the ongoing conflict.

“They literally have people in the streets with machine guns, machine-gunning people down if they want to protest,” Trump said, referring to Iran’s security forces. “That’s a pretty big hurdle to climb for people that don’t have weapons.”

Trump said that while change inside Iran will eventually happen, it is unlikely to occur quickly under such conditions.

“It’ll happen,” he said, “but it probably will be — maybe not immediately.”

The US president made the remarks while discussing the internal situation in Iran amid the escalating war between Iran, Israel and the United States. Trump argued that the regime maintains control largely through force, describing the security forces as an “evil group of people” who shoot protesters “right through the head.”

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps warned on Thursday that opponents could face a blow “even stronger than January 8,” signaling the possibility of a renewed and harsher crackdown if street protests resume.

More than 36,500 Iranians were killed by security forces during a two-day crackdown on nationwide protests on January 8–9.

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  IRGC threatens harsher crackdown if protests return

Trump said the presence of armed units on the streets makes it extremely difficult for ordinary Iranians to take action against the government.

“You’re talking about people that go out shooting protesters,” he said. “So when someone says go out and protest, that’s a pretty high standard.”

The comments came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the current conflict will create conditions for political change inside Iran.

Trump said continued military pressure on Iran's regime could weaken the authorities over time.

“They’re going to be in worse shape as time goes by,” Trump said, adding that US and Israeli strikes have severely damaged Iran’s military capabilities.