MOSCOW, January 13. /TASS/. A German journalist has not ruled out a US military operation against Iran but surmised that its scale and impact would be limited and its goal would have a rather demonstrative nature.

"A United States military operation against Iran remains possible and even likely at moments of heightened tension, yet its scale would remain limited and its effects contained. Such an operation would aim at signaling resolve, satisfying domestic audiences, and reassuring regional allies rather than achieving decisive change," Constantin von Hoffmeister, director of the publishing house Multipolar Press, told TASS.

"Air strikes, covert actions, or maritime pressure would serve as demonstrations of power rather than instruments of transformation," he stated.

"Iran would absorb the impact, respond in calibrated ways, and continue along its existing course. The structure of the Iranian state, its strategic posture, and its regional role would endure. Military action would therefore alter tempo rather than direction," the expert added.

Unrest in Iran began on December 29 after street protests triggered by a sharp fall in the Iranian rial exchange rate, and spread to most major cities. Authorities reported the deaths of 38 law enforcement officers. According to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, armed terrorists appeared among the demonstrators on January 8. The Iranian authorities blamed Israel and the United States for organizing the unrest. US President Donald Trump said earlier that he was seriously considering the use of force against Tehran.