Truck Rams Into Crowd Of Anti-Iranian Regime Protestors In Los Angeles; Several Injured | WATCH

New Delhi: A U-Haul truck struck a group of protesters at an anti-Iranian regime rally in the Westwood area of Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon. The incident resulted in at least two injuries.

The event occurred at the Wilshire Federal Building, the site of a massive rally held in solidarity with the protest movement in Iran. According to media reports, the gathering drew thousands of participants and was set to start at 2:00 PM local time.

According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, paramedics provided on-site medical treatment to two individuals following the incident.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles Police Department officers established a large security perimeter around the location following the accident.

Visual evidence from the scene showed the truck with a shattered windshield and glass fragments scattered across the road. The attached trailer was observed to be empty with its rear door open as investigators examined the vehicle and the surrounding site.

Protests in Iran

The protests in Iran, which started off over the country's weakening currency and rising inflation, have now evolved into a broader anti-government movement calling for the end of the Ayatollah Regime, which has ruled the Middle Eastern country since the 1979 revolution. Demonstrations have now entered their thirteenth day and have spread to at least 100 cities across Iran's 31 provinces.

Nationwide protests challenging Iran’s theocracy saw protesters flood the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city, as violence surrounding the demonstrations has killed at least 538 people, and even more are feared dead, activists said Sunday, while Tehran warned that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

Another, over 10,600 people have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous rounds of unrest in Iran in recent years. It relies on supporters in Iran to cross check information. It said of those killed, 490 were protesters and 48 were members of security forces.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult.

'USA Ready To Help': Trump

United States President Donald Trump may be considering military strikes in Iran as the Middle Eastern country faces the wrath of protests that is reaching its two-week mark. 

The NYT report mentioned that Trump was considering authorising a strike in Iran, in response to the repressive steps taken to quell down the demonstrations. Trump has been presented with several options, including strikes on nonmilitary sites in Tehran. 

Trump's recent posts on Truth Social indicates that he is keenly interested in carrying out strikes in Iran, especially riding on the wave of the successful military operation in Venezuela. 

“Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!” he posted on Saturday. Hours later, he shared a Fox News news report, stating that protesters scaled the Iranian Embassy in London, tore down the Ayatollah regime's flag and hoisted a pre-revolution symbol.

Iran Warns Protesters Of Death Penalty

As protests continue to escalate in Iran, Iran's Attorney General, Mohammad Movahedi Azad, has cautioned that protesters may be classified as “enemies of God”, a charge that comes with the death penalty under Iranian law. 

Iranian state media reported that Attorney General Mohammad Movahedi Azad’s warning extends beyond active protesters as even those providing assistance to "rioters" could be charged as an "enemy of God'.

Demonstrations In London and Paris

A small demonstration was held outside the Iranian embassy in London on Sunday, in solidarity with protests happening in Iran.

The protesters were kept back behind metal railings as police were also in attendance.

The protest comes as Iran’s parliament speaker warned on Sunday that the US military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if the U.S. strikes the Islamic Republic over the ongoing protests roiling the country, as threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Hundreds of protesters marched through central Paris on Sunday in a show of solidarity with protesting Iranians, who began demonstrations in Iran on Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency.

Many waved Iranian flags and some also carried Israeli flags as the protesters made their way towards the famous Trocadero landmark.

Iran warns US troops and Israel are targets

Iran's parliament speaker warned the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America strikes the Islamic Republic, as threatened by President Donald Trump.

Iranian state television broadcast the parliament session live.

Qalibaf, a hard-liner who has run for the presidency in the past, gave a speech applauding police and Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, particularly its all-volunteer Basij, for having “stood firm” during the protests.

He went on to directly threaten Israel, “the occupied territory” as he referred to it, and the U.S. military, possibly with a preemptive strike.

"Be aware that if you take action to attack Iran, both the occupied territories and all U.S. military centers, bases, and ships in the region will be considered legitimate targets by us,” Qalibaf said.