With unrest in Iran spiralling and at least 2,403 people reported dead over the past two weeks, US President Donald Trump has warned Tehran of “very strong action” if protesters are executed. The warning has drawn a fierce response from Iran’s leadership, with the country’s national security chief accusing Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being the “main killers of the people of Iran.”
Without offering specifics, Trump told CBS News on Tuesday that the US would take “very strong action” if Iran began executing protesters. “If they hang them, you’re going to see some things,” he said.
Hours after Trump urged Iranians to "take over" government institutions, Ali Larijani, a former parliament speaker who now serves as secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, issued a blunt message on X.
"We declare the names of the main killers of the people of Iran," Larijani wrote. "1- Trump. 2- Netanyahu."
Larijani accused Washington and Tel Aviv of fuelling unrest that has claimed thousands of lives, as Iranian authorities intensify their crackdown on demonstrators angered by economic collapse and political repression.
Iran’s UN ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani also accused US President Donald Trump of encouraging political destabilisation and inciting violence, calling it a threat to the country’s sovereignty and national security.
In a letter to the UN Security Council, Amir Saeid Iravani said the US and Israel bore responsibility for civilian deaths, particularly among young people.
The letter, also sent to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, was written in response to a social media post by Trump earlier on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Iran's ally Russia also condemned what it described as "subversive external interference" in Tehran's internal politics and said American threats of new military strikes against the country were "categorically unacceptable."
"Those who plan to use externally inspired unrest as a pretext for repeating the aggression against Iran committed in June 2025 must be aware of the disastrous consequences of such actions for the situation in the Middle East and global international security," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
At least 2,403 protesters have died in Iran since anti-government demonstrations erupted, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). The toll includes 12 victims under the age of 18, a spokesperson for HRANA told CNN. In its latest update, HRANA also said at least 18,137 people have been arrested nationwide since the protests began.
Trump said the US would take "very strong action" if the Iranian government starts hanging protesters.
"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 told CBS News in an interview.
The US President earlier said he had cancelled all meetings with Iranian officials until what he called the senseless killing of protestors. In a Truth Social post, he encouraged Iranians to keep protesting, adding that "help is on its way," without offering details.
However, he did not offer any details about what the help would entail, but it comes after Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic.
The confrontation also follows Trump’s claim over the weekend that Iran had reached out to negotiate and that a meeting was being arranged — a statement that has not been confirmed by Tehran.
Iranian state television later issued its first acknowledgement of the deaths, quoting an official who said the country had "a lot of martyrs." The protests, now in their third week, erupted over Iran’s worsening economy and quickly turned into a direct challenge to the theocratic regime.
