US President Donald Trump says the United States will "take very serious action" if Iran begins executing protesters.
Trump made the statement on the sidelines of a trip to Detroit in a brief interview on January 13 with CBS, without giving details.
In response to a CBS journalist who asked about the US response to reports that some detainees in Iran could be hanged early on the morning of January 14, Trump emphasized that he had not heard anything about hanging protesters yet, but added that "if they do such a thing, we will take very strong action."
Exact numbers are unclear but thousands of protesters are thought to have died in the unrest, which is one of the biggest challenges to clerical rule since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
'The Endgame Is To Win'
Trump has said that the US administration is waiting for an official confirmation of the number of protesters killed by Iranian security forces.
When asked what his endgame is in Iran, the president said: "The endgame is to win. I like winning."
"We don't want to see what's happening in Iran happen," he said. "And 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."
The uprising in Iran was sparked by spiraling inflation and a free fall of the currency but has since turned into a broader antigovernment protest. Washington has issued a warning to US citizens, telling them to leave Iran as soon as possible.
