The UK and US have pulled troops out of a base in Qatar. Legacy media cited an anonymous source claiming US president Donald Trump could order strikes on Iran with in 24hrs. Iran has said it would hit US Middle East bases if attacked.
The BBC reported:
The US and UK are reducing the number of personnel at the Al-Udeid air base in Qatar, as US President Donald Trump considers whether to take action against Iran over its crackdown on anti-government protests.
They added:
Officials have told CBS, the BBC’s US partner, that the partial American withdrawal was a “precautionary measure”. The BBC understands some UK military personnel are also being removed.
Iran is currently in a state of near-revolution. The protests stem from massive spikes in the living costs. Iran is also subject to heavy sanctions by the US and its allies, including the UK. The authorities may have killed and jailed thousands of protestors but an information blackout makes it hard to verify details.
The Qatari government said in a press release:
With reference to circulating media reports regarding the departure of certain personnel from Al Udeid Air Base, the International Media Office (IMO) of the State of Qatar states that such measures are being undertaken in response to the current regional tensions.
The IMO reaffirms that the State of Qatar continues to implement all necessary measures to safeguard the security and safety of its citizens and residents as a top priority, including actions related to the protection of critical infrastructure and military facilities.
Trump strikes on Iran?
Donald Trump has repeatedly said he would strike Iran if protestors were killed. Now an anonymous US government source has said those strikes could happen soon:
President Trump is ready to push the button on Iran. It will be a surgical removal of the regime.
Trump may be playing a waiting game to ensure maximum internal chaos, according to the source:
The one thing that the president is waiting on is that the Iranian banks are on the point of collapse which means the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] and others will not get paid once that happens.
If that happens, then the regime will collapse by itself and the president is waiting on that – but he will not wait long.
Another source told Reuters:
All the signals are that a U.S. attack is imminent, but that is also how this administration behaves to keep everyone on their toes. Unpredictability is part of the strategy.
Iranian authorities have blamed outside forces. Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said:
They have trained certain individuals inside the country and abroad, brought terrorists into the country from outside, set mosques on fire, and attacked markets and guilds in Rasht, setting the bazaar ablaze.
Like so many others, this claim is unverified – and conspiracism is rife. An X account through to be linked to Mossad did tweet on 29 December 2025:
Let’s come out to the streets together. The time has come. We are with you. Not just from afar and verbally. We are with you in the field as well.
با هم به خیابان ها بیایید. وقتش رسیده.
ما همراه شما هستیم. نه تنها از راه دور و شفاهی. در میدان نیز همراهتان هستیم.— Mossad Farsi (@MossadSpokesman) December 29, 2025
And on 2 January former CIA director Mike Pompeo posted:
Happy New Year to every Iranian in the streets. Also to every Mossad agent walking beside them…
The Iranian regime is in trouble. Bringing in mercenaries is its last best hope.
Riots in dozens of cities and the Basij under siege — Mashed, Tehran, Zahedan. Next stop: Baluchistan.
47 years of this regime; POTUS 47. Coincidence?
Happy New Year to every Iranian in the…
— Mike Pompeo (@mikepompeo) January 2, 2026
The US last bombed Iran in July 2025. Israel also took part in that attack on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Amid rumours, competing claims and an internet blackout, it is hard to know what is going on in Iran. The protests against costs of living are certainly legitimate. The clumsy and conspiratorial framing of them as simply a product of Western interference is inadequate. They also exist in an imperial context. And it is almost certainly the case that outside forces are trying to capture Iranian’s anger to shape an outcome that favours western interests.
Our solidarity must be with the people of Iran trying to shape their own future, albeit in circumstances not completely of their own making.
Featured image via the Canary
By Joe Glenton
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