Here's a cheerful thought to start your week: a senior Iranian official is predicting that if the Islamic Republic falls, the entire Middle East could go down with it. Nothing like a bit of geopolitical apocalypse talk to spice up the news cycle.
The warning comes as tensions between the US and Iran are reaching a boiling point. President Donald Trump has been making military threats, protests are tearing through Iranian cities, and now there's a US Navy "armada" sailing toward the region.
The protests themselves tell a grim story. What started on December 28 exploded into nationwide clashes by January 8, leaving at least 3,117 people dead according to Iranian officials. Human rights groups believe the actual death toll is even higher.
Trump announced Friday that the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group was headed toward Iran, with the president saying the US was "watching them very closely." Subtle, it is not.
The Iranian official has a theory about who's really pushing for this confrontation: Israel. "A state collapse, which will directly result in regional collapse, is something the Israelis would like to see," the official told Newsweek. "The only party that would benefit from such a regional collapse is Israel."
A Trump administration official responded by reiterating the president's earlier position: "President Trump has stated he hopes that no action will be necessary, but the President has been clear about the consequences for the Iranian regime murdering protestors."
