Trump warns 'very strong action' if Iran hangs protesters

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the US is prepared to take "very strong action" if reports that Iran plans to execute protesters prove accurate.

"I haven't heard about the hanging. 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 in an interview with CBS News.

Asked about his "end game" for Iran, Trump replied: "The end game is to win. I like winning."

Trump's comments came after he was asked about remarks he posted earlier on his social media company Truth Social, saying, "Help is on the way."

"Well, there's a lot of help on the way, and in different forms, including economic help ... We put Iran out of business with their nuclear capacity," he said, referring to US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June last year.

Highlighting the lack of clear casualty figures from the ongoing protests in Iran, he said: "Nobody's been able to give us accurate numbers about how many people they've killed."

"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," he said.

'U.S. CITIZENS SHOULD LEAVE IRAN NOW'

Citing US- and Norway-based Iranian non-governmental organizations, US broadcaster Fox News reported Monday that the family of arrested protester Erfan Soltani was informed that the 26-year-old was "sentenced to death" and the ruling was due to be carried out Wednesday.

The virtual US Embassy for Iran warned Americans on Tueday to leave the country without delay as nationwide unrest continues to escalate.

"U.S. citizens should leave Iran now. Consider departing by land to Türkiye or Armenia, if safe to do so," it said in a security alert, urging Americans to plan for departing without assistance from their government.

US-Iranian dual nationals must leave Iran on Iranian passports, it said, adding that the Iranian government does not recognize dual nationality and would treat dual citizens solely as Iranian citizens.

"Showing a U.S. passport or demonstrating connections to the United States can be reason enough for Iranian authorities to detain someone," it said.