US President Donald Trump has said his country will take “very strong action” against Iran if it executes protesters.
According to a US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), more than 18,434 protesters have been arrested in the ongoing protests in Iran. The protests, which have reportedly spread to 180 cities and towns in all 31 provinces, were sparked by anger over the collapse of the Iranian currency and soaring cost of living, reports the BBC.
They have quickly widened into demands for political change, becoming one of the most serious challenges to the Iranian clerical establishment since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Rights groups say more than 2,400 anti-government demonstrators have been killed in a violent crackdown by Iranian authorities.
“If they hang them, you’re going to see some things… We will take very strong action if they do such a thing,” Trump said of potential executions.
Trump, who has been weighing military and other options in response to the crackdown, having already announced 25% tariffs on any country trading with Iran, wrote on his Truth Social platform that Iranian authorities would “pay a big price” for the killings, and urged people to “keep protesting.”
“I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY. MIGA!!!,” he added, using the acronym for a US-based Iranian opposition slogan, “Make Iran Great Again.”
Meanwhile, the Iranian government has accused the US of seeking to “manufacture a pretext for military intervention,” warning that “this playbook has failed before.”
