India, Jan. 14 -- Iran is facing anti-government protests across the country, and the rhetoric from Washington has grown sharper, feeding speculation that the United States may be preparing for direct military action against the Islamic Republic. A series of statements attributed to US President Donald Trump on his social media platform, coupled with reports of heightened alert levels at American bases in the Gulf, has injected anew sense of urgency into an already volatile regional picture. Together, these developments have fuelled claims that the clerical establishment led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could be facing its gravest challenge in decades.

The protests, which erupted over economic hardship, political repression a...