Iran tensions rise as US redeploys its military staff in Qatar

Arsalan Shahla and Fiona MacDonald, Bloomberg News on Jan 14, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

Iran tensions rose after President Donald Trump threatened to take action over a violent crackdown against protesters, with the United States moving military staff and Tehran warning neighboring countries against assisting an attack.

Officials told Bloomberg on Wednesday there had been some redeployment of U.S. personnel in Qatar, and around other American bases in the region, due to ongoing apprehension and Iranian threats to target those locations. They asked not to be named discussing private information.

That followed calls by Trump on Tuesday for Iranians to continue protesting against the regime of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and “take over your institutions if possible,” adding that he would “act accordingly” once he assesses how many demonstrators have been killed.

The U.S. leader addressed the Iranian people in a Truth Social post, saying “HELP IS ON ITS WAY,” without specifying what he meant.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported that 2,586 people had been killed in the Iran unrest from late December through Wednesday, up from about 500 at the start of the week. Demonstrations remain difficult to track amid an internet shutdown in Iran, and some observers say the actual toll could be significantly higher.

Social media footage that Iranians have managed to share suggests unrest continued over Tuesday night, though in small gatherings. NetBlocks, an internet monitoring group, said Iran’s nationwide blackout had entered its sixth day, choking off most communications and making it difficult to document or track events.

Oil prices have risen on the heightened tensions. Brent crude is up for a fifth day to over $66 a barrel, rising over 10% in that period.

Gulf Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have been lobbying Washington against a strike on Tehran, The Wall Street Journal reported. Bloomberg has reported that those countries and others such as the United Arab Emirates are wary of becoming embroiled in a regional conflict that might result from a U.S. assault on Iran.

Iran has threatened countries in the region in recent days that they could be attacked in the event of U.S. strikes and it specifically mentioned those with U.S. bases, according to officials in the Middle East familiar with the matter.

The U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia advised personnel and American citizens to exercise caution and limit non-essential travel to any military installations in the region.

Majid Mousavi, aerospace commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said the force is at “peak defensive readiness” and prepared to respond to any aggression. He said all damage from the 12-day conflict with Israel in June has been repaired and that the unit is now at “full operational readiness,” IRIB News reported.

Iran’s Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said Tuesday that “we will defend the country with full force and until the last drop of blood.”

The Iranian protests erupted late last year after the rial, the national currency, plunged to record lows, worsening a cost-of-living crisis. Traders in Tehran were among the first to demonstrate. The unrest quickly escalated into a broader movement against Khamenei’s theocratic rule, resulting in clashes and Tehran’s deadliest crackdown on dissent in decades.

Tehran has, without providing evidence, accused the United States and Israel of arming protesters and orchestrating unrest on the ground, seven months after the two allies conducted heavy airstrikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities.

On Wednesday, Iran’s prosecutor general, Mohammad Movahedi Azad, warned the state would tighten its crackdown by seizing the assets of “terrorists and rioters.” Judiciary chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei said that “those who beheaded people in the streets or burned people alive must be tried and punished as quickly as possible.”

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is offering Starlink free in Iran, according to Ahmad Ahmadian, executive director of the U.S. group Holistic Resilience, which works with Iranians to secure internet access.

Still, the number of Starlink terminals in the country — which users need to access the company’s services — is thought to be small.

HRANA said more than 18,000 people have been detained in Iran in connection with the protests. Officials have warned that people could be charged with “enmity against God,” a broadly defined offense under Islamic law punishable by death.

Authorities used similar charges to execute at least nine individuals in connection with 2022 protests over the death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, according to London-based Amnesty International.

Those were the most recent major demonstrations in Iran.

Iran’s state TV reported that a public funeral for more than 300 civilians and security personnel who died in recent days was scheduled in Tehran on Wednesday. No breakdown of fatalities was given, and while authorities have refused to release official casualty figures, they said the toll has been “considerable.”