Trump Warns Iran Of ‘very strong action’ If Protesters Are Hanged

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump issued a warning to Iran’s government, threatening significant retaliation should the regime proceed with executing individuals arrested during anti-government demonstrations.

The warning followed reports from family members of Erfan Soltani, a 26-year-old detainee arrested the previous week, indicating his execution was scheduled for Wednesday, January 14.

“I haven’t heard about the hanging. If they hang ’em, you’re gonna see some things that – I don’t know what you’re – where you come from and what your thought process is, but you’ll perhaps be very happy,” Trump told “CBS Evening News” anchor Tony Dokoupil during an interview in Detroit.

When pressed by Dokoupil for clarification, Trump responded: “If they do such a thing, we will take very strong action.”

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency has documented over 2,000 Iranian deaths resulting from the government’s violent suppression of demonstrators.

However, CBS News noted that alternative sources suggest the situation may be significantly worse, with fatality estimates ranging from 12,000 to 20,000 individuals.

Related: Iran Shuts Down Internet As Supreme Leader Issues Warning To Demonstrators

Regarding the objective of potential strong measures against Tehran, Trump stated the goal would be “to win,” and suggested military involvement when questioned about how he would characterize success in Iran.

“Well, let’s define it in Venezuela. Let’s define it with al Baghdadi. He was wiped out. Let’s define it with Soleimani, and let’s define it in Iran, where [the US military] wiped out the Iranian nuclear threat in a period of about 15 minutes once the B-2s got there,” the president explained.

“We don’t want to see what’s happening in Iran happen,” Trump continued.

“And, you know, if they want to have protests, that’s one thing.

“When they start killing thousands of people – and now you’re telling me about hanging – we’ll see how that works out for them.

“It’s not going to work out good.”