Iranian cleric says Iran may target US investments in region if attacked

Trump warns Iran against killing protesters and restarting nuclear programme

Protesters gather as vehicles burn, amid evolving anti-government unrest, in Tehran, Iran, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video released on Jan 9, 2026. Social Media/via REUTERS/File Photo

An influential Iranian cleric warned on Friday that Iran may target US-linked investments in the region in retaliation for any US attack on the Islamic Republic, Iranian news agencies reported.

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States had an "armada" heading toward Iran but hoped he would not have to use it, as he renewed warnings to Tehran against killing protesters or restarting its nuclear programme.

"The one trillion dollars you have invested in the region is under the watch of our missiles," said Mohammad Javad Haj Ali Akbari, a leader of prayers that are held on Fridays in Tehran before a large gathering. He did not specify which investments he was referring to.

Separately, Iran's top prosecutor Mohammad Movahedi denied that Iran had called off 800 executions of people arrested in recent nationwide protests, as Trump has said.

"This claim is completely false, No such number exists, nor has the judiciary made any such decision," Movahedi was quoted as saying by the judiciary's news agency Mizan.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told Fox News last week "There is no plan for hanging at all" by Iran, when asked about the anti-government protests.

The UN Human Rights Council is to hold an emergency session on Friday to discuss the "alarming violence" used in Iran against protesters, while a group of states will call on United Nations' investigators to document alleged abuses for future trials.

Rights groups say thousands, including bystanders, were killed during the unrest, which represented the biggest challenge to Iran's clerical government since 2022.