From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, January 14, 2026
Trump threatens ‘very strong action’ if Iran starts hanging protesters
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US President Donald Trump warns of unspecified “very strong action” against Iran if its authorities go ahead with the threatened hanging of some protesters.
Trump tells CBS News that the United States would act if Iran began hanging protesters, after Tehran prosecutors said Iranian authorities would press capital charges of “moharebeh,” or “waging war against God,” against some suspects arrested over recent demonstrations.
“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,” says the American leader, who has repeatedly threatened Iran with military intervention.
“When they start killing thousands of people — and now you’re telling me about hanging. We’ll see how that’s going to work out for them,” Trump adds.
He also says “no one has been able to give us accurate numbers” on how many demonstrators the Islamic Republic has killed in its crackdown on the unrest.
“It looks like it could be a pretty substantial number, and that’s going to be a lot of problems for them,” Trump says. “I’ve heard two numbers, but we’ll see what that is.”
Asked what is “the end game” in Iran, Trump answers, “the end game is to win. I like winning.”
EXCLUSIVE: In an interview with @TonyDokoupil, President Trump says the U.S. will take “very strong action” in Iran if the regime starts hanging protesters. "We don't want to see what's happening in Iran happen," he said. "It's not gonna work out good."
Watch more tonight on the… pic.twitter.com/0q1pu791dt
— CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil (@CBSEveningNews) January 13, 2026
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