Trump threatens 'very strong action' if Iran executes protesters

US President Donald Trump has declared that the United States is prepared to take "very strong action" against Iran if reports that it plans to execute arrested protesters prove true. In a CBS News interview on Tuesday, Trump delivered a blunt warning, stating, "If they hang them, you're going to see some things... It's not going to work out good."

A Direct Threat Amidst Unclear Casualties

The president's comments were prompted by questions about his recent social media post promising "Help is on the way" for Iranian protesters. While not detailing specific plans, Trump emphasized that help could come in "different forms, including economic," and referenced last year's US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. He also highlighted the ongoing information blackout, noting, "Nobody's been able to give us accurate numbers about how many people they've killed," but warned that killing "thousands of people" would provoke a US response.

Imminent Executions and an Urgent Departure Order

The threat of executions appears imminent. According to reports from US- and Norway-based Iranian NGOs, the family of 26-year-old detainee Erfan Soltani was informed he had been sentenced to death, with the ruling scheduled to be carried out as early as Wednesday. In response to the escalating crisis, the virtual US Embassy for Iran issued an urgent security alert on Tuesday, commanding all American citizens to "leave Iran now." It specifically advised considering departure by land to neighboring Türkiye or Armenia if safe to do so, while warning that the US government may not be able to provide assistance.

A Volatile US-Iran Confrontation

This exchange marks a significant escalation in rhetoric between Washington and Tehran, which have had no formal diplomatic relations for decades. The US order for its citizens to leave indicates an expectation of rapid deterioration. The alert explicitly warned dual nationals that Iran does not recognize US citizenship, meaning they would be treated solely as Iranians, and that "showing a U.S. passport" could be grounds for detention. Trump framed the confrontation in characteristically stark terms, stating his "end game" for Iran is simply "to win. I like winning."