US President Donald Trump has issued yet another warning to Iran, vowing “very strong action” if the clerical regime proceeds with the planned hanging of protesters.
Speaking in an interview with CBS News, Trump did not spell out what form the response might take but made clear it would be forceful.
“We will take very strong action. If they do such a thing, we will take very strong action,” he said, adding that executions would not “work out good” for Tehran.
The comments came amid growing concerns over Iran’s brutal crackdown on demonstrations that erupted in late December 2025 over skyrocketing inflation, currency collapse, and economic distress.
It quickly evolved into an anti-government protest with many seeking the removal of the “Mullah Regime.”
Meanwhile, Tehran has dismissed US statements as blatant interference and a thinly veiled pretext for military intervention, with officials accusing Washington of inciting violence and destabilizing the country.
Iran’s UN ambassador and foreign ministry have branded Trump’s rhetoric as reckless threats against sovereignty. Hardliners like parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf have warned that any US aggression would trigger a regional response targeting American military and bases.
Iran’s UN mission posted a statement on X, vowing that Washington’s “playbook” would “fail again”.
“US fantasies and policy toward Iran are rooted in regime change, with sanctions, threats, engineered unrest, and chaos serving as the modus operandi to manufacture a pretext for military intervention,” the post said.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) has documented over 2,400 protester deaths as of mid-January, with thousands more arrested. Experts say these figures are at the low end due to limited access to hospitals and morgue data. Other estimates paint a much scarier picture, with some putting the death toll as high as 6,000 to 12,000.
These figures come from groups like Iran International and reports cited in Time Magazine, which talked about bodies going straight to morgues without hitting hospitals, meaning the actual deaths could be much higher.
In Tehran, hundreds of protestors are believed to have been gunned down, with the Iranian regime reportedly also using snipers on protesting civilians.
The whole agitation centers on the executions that could start any moment, especially the case of 26-year-old Erfan Soltani from Karaj, a suburb near Tehran. He was picked up during protests, and his family says authorities told them his death sentence is already final, with no access to a lawyer or a fair trial.
Hengaw and other monitors say authorities have informed his family that the sentence is irreversible.
Prosecutors have vowed “swift and harsh” punishment for “rioters,” while the judiciary chief has ordered no leniency.
The protests are now spreading to nearly every province despite the internet blackout. Protestors are demanding the removal of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling for regime change, and the return of Reza Pahlavi.
Pahlavi has himself strengthened the momentum, urging continued protests.
“My compatriots,
The world has not just seen and heard your voice and courage; it is now responding.
By now, you have probably heard the message from the President of the United States. Help is on the way.
Continue the fight, as you have done so far.
Do not allow this regime to create the illusion that life is normal.
After all the massacres, there is a sea of blood between us and this regime.
Save the names of all these criminals. They will be prosecuted for what they have done.”
He also added a direct appeal to the military in the same message:
“You are the national military of Iran, not the military of the Islamic Republic.
You have a duty to protect the lives of your compatriots.
You do not have much time. Join them as soon as possible.”
Earlier, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, urging Iranians to “KEEP PROTESTING, adding: “I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY.”
European nations also expressed their outrage over the crackdown, with France, Germany, and the UK summoning their Iranian ambassadors.
“The rising number of casualties in Iran is horrifying,” said EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, vowing further sanctions against those responsible.
The Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR) said it had confirmed 734 people killed during the protests, including nine minors, but warned the death toll was likely far higher.
“The figures we publish are based on information received from fewer than half of the country’s provinces and fewer than 10 percent of Iran’s hospitals. The real number of those killed is likely in the thousands,” IHR’s director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said.
Analysts have warned that it is premature to predict the immediate extinction of the clerical system, pointing to the repressive levers the leadership controls, including the Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is charged with safeguarding the Islamic revolution.
“These protests arguably represent the most serious challenge to the Islamic Republic in years, both in scale and in their increasingly explicit political demands,” Nicole Grajewski, professor at the Sciences Po Centre for International Studies in Paris, told AFP.
Moharebeh
Imagine being protesting against inflation and getting arrested for “waging war against God.” That’s Moharebeh!
In today’s Iran, it is one of the regime’s most feared tools of oppression. The word comes from Old Arabic and means “enmity against God” or, literally, “waging war on God.”
Under Iran’s Islamic Penal Code, based on strict Sharia rules, it is a hudud offense, one of those “crimes against God” that require harsh, fixed punishments.
Article 279 explains that if you pick up a weapon, or even just create enough fear and chaos to threaten lives, property, or public safety, you are guilty of moharebeh.
Originally, it was meant for serious crimes like armed robbers, bandits, or groups terrorizing roads and villages, as described in centuries-old Islamic legal texts. But since the 1979 Revolution, the courts have expanded their use.
Now, it is used against anyone the regime sees as a real threat: protesters clashing with police, people throwing stones, opposition activists, or even those accused of “disrupting order”.
Revolutionary courts, which are special tribunals with almost no transparency, handle these cases. The standard for evidence is very low — even a forced confession or a blurry video could get you into serious trouble.
The punishments can be severe: hanging (the most common), public crucifixion, cutting off the right hand and left foot, or permanently expelling you from your hometown.
Repentance might save you if it happens early enough, but once the sentence is given, it is usually final, no changes, even if the state or victims “forgive” you later.
Over the years, this charge has been used repeatedly to crush dissent.
During the 2022 Mahsa Amini protests, several people faced the charge of “waging war against God.”
Now, during the current wave of nationwide agitation, it is being used again.
Iranoan prosecutors have warned that vandalism, fighting security forces, or showing up armed at demonstrations will be treated as moharebeh, and execution is a possible outcome.
For ordinary Iranians right now, moharebeh is not just an archaic religious belief; it is a real threat hanging over anyone who dares to speak out.
By ET Online Desk with Agence France-Presse (AFP) Inputs
