Demonstration of the Iranian diaspora in Pariser Platz, in front of the Brandenburg Gate and the US Embassy in Berlin, Germany, on January 12, 2026. PHOTO: Alon David / imago stock and people / Profimedia
US President Donald Trump said late on Tuesday that the United States would take “very tough measures” soon if the Iranian government starts hanging protesters this week, but gave no details on the nature of those measures, Reuters and AFP write.
“I haven't heard about hangings. If they hang them, you're going to see some things … We're going to take very tough action if they do something like that,” Trump said when asked about the possibility of hangings starting Wednesday in an interview with CBS News in Dearbon, Michigan.
The White House leader said he was aware that a “fairly large number” of people had been killed in the more than two weeks of demonstrations. Sources cited by the US television station say at least 12,000 people – possibly as many as 20,000 – are believed to have died, as video footage shows body bags lined up at the Tehran morgue.
In a message released earlier on Tuesday, Trump warned Iranian officials that they would “pay a heavy price” for any act of violence and promised protesting Iranians that “help is on the way.” He also announced that he would cancel all meetings with Iranian officials until the killings stopped. “Patriots of Iran, KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!…HELP IS ON THE WAY,” Trump wrote.
“Continue the protests, take control of the institutions!”. Trump tells Iranians 'help is on the way' and says he has canceled all meetings with regime officials
During the interview, Trump reiterated that “help is on the way” for Iranian citizens, saying it comes in “various forms,” including economic assistance. He mentioned last year's US airstrikes that targeted three Iranian nuclear facilities, but gave no further details.
When asked what his ultimate goal is regarding Iran, the US leader replied: “The ultimate goal is to win. I like to win.”
Asked further what “to win” meant, he listed a series of military operations from his first and second terms as president: the recent capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, the 2019 raid in Syria that resulted in the death of ISIS founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and the 2020 assassination of Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran's elite Quds Force.
And then he specified: “We don't want to see what's happening in Iran continue to happen. And you know, if they want to organize protests, that's one thing, but when they start killing thousands of people, and now you're telling me about hangings – we'll see how that works for them (Tehran regime members, no). It's not going to work well.”
On Saturday, Trump said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social that Iran “strives for freedom” and that the United States is “ready to help.” “Iran aspires to freedom as never before. The United States is ready to help!!!”, the American president wrote at the time, amid the broad movement to challenge Tehran's power.
The Islamic Republic has been facing for more than two weeks one of the most important protest movements since its proclamation in 1979.
On Monday, Trump announced the imposition of a 25% tariff in the US on any country that trades with Iran. “Starting now, any country that trades with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a 25% tariff on any and all trades with the United States of America. This order is final and non-appealable,” the White House leader said.
About 2,000 people, including members of the security forces, have been killed in protests in Iran, an Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday, the first time authorities have acknowledged the high death toll caused by the intense crackdown by the Tehran regime.
The Wall Street Journal previously reported that the US leader's options on Iran include military strikes, expanding sanctions, using secret cyber weapons and providing online aid to anti-government sources.
