00:00.
00:16Tensions between Iran and the United States just took a disturbing new turn.
00:21A senior Iranian official has gone on state television
00:25and openly suggested that Iran should capture the U.S. President Donald Trump,
00:30comparing it to what he claims the U.S. once did to Venezuela's president.
00:35The comments come at a moment when the region is already on edge.
00:39Speaking on Iranian state broadcaster IRINN,
00:43hardline ideologue Hassan Rahimpour Asghadi,
00:47a member of Iran's Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution,
00:51used extreme language, calling for Trump to pay the price
00:55for Washington's support of anti-government protests in Iran.
01:00Asghadi claimed that operations inside U.S. territory,
01:04including sabotage and destructive actions, would be permissible,
01:08and said he hoped Trump would be captured either during or after his presidency.
01:14These remarks were broadcast publicly and later circulated widely by opposition media and monitoring groups.
01:21It's important to be clear.
01:23This was not an official government order or military announcement,
01:27but it does reflect the increasingly radical tone coming from influential figures within Iran's ideological establishment,
01:35especially as the regime faces intense internal and external pressure.
01:41Iran has been rocked by weeks of nationwide protests,
01:45with reports of a brutal crackdown, mass arrests, and thousands killed or detained.
01:50At the same time, the United States has ramped up its military posture in the region.
01:56The USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group has entered U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility,
02:03a move widely seen as a warning to Tehran.
02:06President Trump has publicly voiced support for Iranian protesters while sharply criticizing the Iranian government,
02:14fueling anger among hardliners in Tehran.
02:18Other senior Iranian officials have echoed the confrontational tone.
02:22Deputy Parliamentary Speaker Hamid Reza Hajibabaei warned that any U.S. attack, direct or indirect,
02:30would be met with a decisive and immediate response, citing Iran's right to self-defense under international law.
02:38Meanwhile, Iran's allies are weighing in.
02:41The United Arab Emirates says it will not allow its territory to be used for attacks on Iran,
02:47while Hezbollah has warned it will not remain neutral if Iran is targeted.
02:52Taken together, this is a picture of escalating rhetoric, military signaling, and regional anxiety.
02:59Asghadi's remarks may be symbolic and extreme, but they underline just how volatile the moment has become.
03:06When words like these are spoken publicly, especially on state television, they are meant to send a message.
03:13For now, there's no indication of immediate action, but the temperature is clearly rising.
03:19With protests raging, warships in position, and rhetoric hardening on all sides, the risk of miscalculation is real.
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