Trump Threatens ‘Very Strong Action’ If Iran Executes Protesters

US President Donald Trump has issued a stark warning to Iran, threatening unspecified “very strong action” if Iranian authorities carry out executions of detained protesters amid the country’s largest demonstrations in years.

In an interview with CBS News aired Tuesday, Trump said the United States would respond forcefully if Iran proceeded with hanging demonstrators. His comments followed earlier messages in which he urged Iranians to continue protesting and told them that “help is on its way,” without clarifying what form that support might take.

“We will take very strong action if they do such a thing,” Trump said, referring to reports of impending executions. “When they start killing thousands of people - and now you’re telling me about hanging -we’ll see how that’s going to work out for them.”

Iranian prosecutors have announced that some detainees arrested during the recent protests could face capital charges under “moharebeh” - a term meaning “waging war against God,” which carries the death penalty under Iranian law.

The US State Department, posting on its Persian-language X account, said that Erfan Soltani, a 26-year-old protester, had been sentenced to execution scheduled for Wednesday. Human rights groups have warned that Iran may accelerate executions to intimidate demonstrators and suppress dissent.

Tehran sharply rejected Trump’s remarks. Iranian officials accused Washington of encouraging unrest and inciting violence, saying the US was recycling a familiar “playbook” aimed at destabilising the country. They warned that such threats would “fail again,” and described the statements as a potential pretext for foreign military intervention.

The escalating rhetoric underscores rising tensions between Washington and Tehran, as Iran’s clerical leadership intensifies its crackdown on protests while the US signals growing readiness to respond if executions move forward.