US President Donald Trump has warned that Washington will respond with “very strong action” if Iran proceeds with executing protesters, as human rights organisations report that more than 2,400 anti-government demonstrators have been killed in a violent nationwide crackdown by Iranian authorities.
Family members of 26-year-old Erfan Soltani, who was detained last week, told BBC Persian that he was scheduled to be executed on Wednesday. It remains unclear whether the execution has already taken place.
A representative of the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights also told the BBC that the speed of the case was unprecedented. “We have never witnessed a case move so quickly,” the representative said.
Speaking to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, Trump addressed the prospect of executions directly. “If they hang them, you’re going to see some things,” he said. “We will take very strong action if they do such a thing.”
According to Soltani’s relatives, an Iranian court issued a death sentence following what they described as an “extremely rapid process” that lasted just two days. The family said they were gravely concerned that he could be executed without warning, particularly as communication with Iran has been severely disrupted by an ongoing internet shutdown.
Hengaw representative Awyar Shekhi told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that Soltani’s detention illustrated the government’s effort to suppress further unrest. “This shows the Iranian authorities are trying to control the population and prevent additional protests,” he said.
Shekhi added that Soltani’s sister, who is a lawyer, attempted to intervene in the case but was told by officials that there was no legal avenue to pursue.
Under Iranian law, prisoners sentenced to death are usually permitted a final visit with family members. While authorities have reportedly told Soltani’s family that such a meeting would be allowed, Shekhi said Soltani has had no contact with relatives since his arrest.
An Iranian official told Reuters that approximately 2,000 people had been killed during the unrest, but claimed that “terrorists” were responsible for the deaths.
Trump said earlier that he planned to attend a White House meeting on Tuesday night to discuss developments in Iran, pledging to obtain “accurate numbers” on the scale of the killings.
“The killing looks like it’s significant, but we don’t know yet for certain,” Trump told reporters while returning to the White House. “Once we have the numbers, we’ll act accordingly.”
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said it has so far confirmed the deaths of 2,403 protesters, including 12 children, despite the near-total internet blackout. The organisation also reported that nearly 150 people linked to the Iranian government have been killed.
Iran’s state-affiliated Fars news agency reported that funerals were held in Tehran on Wednesday for more than 100 members of the security forces and others it described as “martyrs”.
On Tuesday, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that Iranian authorities would “pay a big price” for the killings and encouraged people to “keep protesting”.
“I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY. MIGA!!!” he wrote, using the acronym for the opposition slogan “Make Iran Great Again”.
Trump has been weighing both military and non-military responses to the crackdown. He has already announced 25% tariffs on any country that continues to trade with Iran.
Iran’s government has responded by accusing the US of attempting to “manufacture a pretext for military intervention”, warning that “this playbook has failed before”.
The protests, which have reportedly spread to 180 cities and towns across all 31 provinces, were initially triggered by public anger over the collapse of the national currency and soaring living costs.
They rapidly expanded into broader demands for political change, becoming one of the most serious challenges to Iran’s clerical leadership since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Demonstrations escalated sharply last Thursday and were met with lethal force by security services. The crackdown has been largely obscured by a widespread shutdown of internet and communication services.
According to HRANA, more than 18,434 protesters have been arrested since the unrest began.
Because international media outlets, including the BBC, are unable to operate freely inside Iran, the full scale of the violence remains difficult to verify.
However, videos posted online on Sunday showed people searching for missing relatives at Tehran’s Kahrizak Forensic Centre. The BBC counted at least 180 shrouded bodies and body bags visible in the footage. Another video shared on Monday showed around 50 additional bodies at the same facility.
“My friend went there to look for his brother, and he forgot his own grief,” an activist told BBC Persian. “They piled up bodies from every neighbourhood — Saadatabad, Naziabad, Sattarkhan. You go to your area’s pile and search. You don’t understand even a fraction of the violence that has been used.”
Hospitals in Tehran have also reportedly been overwhelmed. Prof Shahram Kordasti, an Iranian oncologist based in London, told the BBC’s Newsday programme that the last message he received from a colleague in Tehran described conditions as resembling a war zone.
“In most hospitals, it’s like a battlefield,” the message read. “We are short of supplies and short of blood.” Kordasti said doctors at several hospitals had reported treating hundreds of injured or dead patients.
An Iranian resident in the northern city of Rasht told the BBC that the area had become unrecognisable. “Everything is burned,” they said. “Fire is everywhere.”
UN human rights chief Volker Türk called on Iranian authorities to immediately halt all violence and repression against peaceful protesters, according to a statement from his office.
Türk said it was unacceptable for protesters to be labelled “terrorists” as justification for violence and described it as “extremely worrying” that Iranian officials had indicated the possible use of the death penalty through expedited trials.
Iran’s judiciary chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, said on Monday that those involved in the unrest would be dealt with “seriously and severely”. Prosecutors have stated that some detainees may be charged with “enmity against God”, a national security offence punishable by death.
Türk also urged Iranian authorities to fully restore access to the internet and communication services. While some international calls briefly connected on Tuesday, monitoring group NetBlocks said the internet shutdown has now lasted more than 132 hours.
One resident near Tehran who has limited access through the Starlink satellite service told BBC Persian that security checkpoints have been set up on nearly every block, with forces inspecting vehicles and mobile phones.
New footage of protests has emerged in recent days, with BBC Persian verifying videos filmed in the central city of Arak and the western cities of Tabriz, Urmia and Khorramabad.
In footage from Khorramabad, gunfire can be heard during clashes between protesters and security forces, as some demonstrators throw stones.
Protesters are heard chanting “Death to the dictator” — referring to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — and “Reza Shah, may your soul rest in peace”, referencing Iran’s former monarch Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was overthrown in the 1979 revolution and whose son lives in exile.
