Donald Trump has issued stern warnings to Iran, vowing “very strong action” if the regime proceeds with the execution of protesters. These threats come amid reports that a 26-year-old Iranian protester, Erfan Soltani, was slated for execution. Trump, in an interview with CBS News' Tony Dokoupil at a Ford factory in Detroit, acknowledged the substantial death toll and reports of ordered hangings, stating, “We will take very strong action if they do such a thing.” While he did not specify military action, he cautioned that such actions would “not work out good” for the Iranian leadership, indicating that killing thousands of people and resorting to hangings crosses a critical line.

The protests in Iran, which commenced on December 28, were initially spurred by severe economic conditions, including soaring inflation and a collapsing currency. These demonstrations quickly escalated into broader calls for political change and challenges to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's repressive rule. The scale of the crackdown has been brutal, with varying estimates of casualties; an Iranian official admitted to Reuters that around 2,000 demonstrators were killed, while Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights warned of a death toll exceeding 6,000, and other reports suggesting as many as 12,000 fatalities. Human Rights Activists New Agency reported over 10,700 arrests since the protests began. Erfan Soltani, a shopkeeper, was one of those arrested, with his family, reportedly shocked and in despair, stating he was not a political activist but part of a younger generation protesting the current situation.

The Trump administration has been actively deliberating its response. Trump had previously warned Tehran of military action if it harmed protesters, and he believes Iran is now “starting to cross” that line. Key White House national security officials, including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, convened meetings to develop a range of options, from diplomatic approaches to potential military strikes. Trump has canceled all talks with Iranian officials and used his Truth Social platform to tell Iranians that “help is on its way,” urging them to “take over” the country and “save the names of the killers and abusers,” promising they would “pay a big price.”

In a significant development, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), a Washington-based nonprofit group, provided the Trump administration with a dossier detailing a “sophisticated hit list” of 50 high-value military targets. This document, shared with White House officials, identifies the exact coordinates of critical Iranian command centers responsible for the crackdown. These include the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) Tharallah Headquarters—the nerve center for suppressing protests—along with its four key sub-headquarters (Quds, Fath, Nasr, and Ghadr) that oversee different regions of Tehran. The list also exposed a hidden infrastructure of 23 IRGC-Basij regional bases and specific operational units like the Aaleh-e Mohammad Security Brigade and the Al-Zahra Security Brigade. UANI emphasized that identifying these targets would provide the US military with a blueprint of the IRGC’s capabilities to coordinate violence against its citizens, stressing the need to shift the balance of power between unarmed protesters and the regime’s armed forces.

Internationally, the crisis has garnered widespread attention. Iran’s parliamentary speaker warned that the US military and Israel would become “legitimate targets” if Washington used force to protect demonstrators. Meanwhile, the UK summoned Iran’s ambassador and announced new economic sanctions targeting key industries like finance, energy, and transport, while France, the US, and Germany advised their citizens to leave Iran. Iran’s U.N. Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani accused the US President of inciting violence and threatening the country’s sovereignty. Despite a dual approach by Iranian authorities, which included calling some protests over economic problems legitimate, there have been no signs of fracture within the security elite. Communication restrictions, including an internet blackout, have hindered the flow of information, though Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service was reportedly made available for free in Iran to help restore information access. This ongoing crisis adds to a challenging foreign policy landscape for Trump, who is simultaneously addressing issues in Venezuela, the Israel-Hamas conflict, and the Russia-Ukraine war.