Washington DC [United States], January 14 : As the protests continue to rise in Iran, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) warned the country of "consequences" if it continues violent actions against its own citizens, saying Tehran "better behave".
Trump said that the United States would "review the situation" in regard of reports of killings and alleged executions during unrest in the country.
Speaking to reporters after an event in Detroit, Trump said he was returning to Washington to assess developments related to Iran.
"We had a wonderful speech in front of great people in Detroit. I'm going back to the White House now, and we're going to look at the whole situation that's going on in Iran. We'll get some accurate numbers as to what's happening with regard to the killing," the US President told reporters.
On being asked if he wants to see democracy in Iran, Trump added that he would want to see a "little bit of freedom" for the Iranian people.
"Ideally, we would like to see it. We don't want to see people killed, and we want to see a little bit of freedom for these people. These people have been living in hell for a long time. I have friends who used to invest in Iran, and they did well with their investments. It was a great place. The people were great. Even the leadership was good. And now it is living in hell," he said.
When asked by a reporter about Iran's warning of retaliation in the event of US strikes, Trump responded, "Yeah, Iran said that the last time I blew them up with the nuclear capability, which they don't have any longer, so. they better behave."
When asked whether he had a message for Iran's leadership amid reports of violence against protesters, Trump said, "The message is they've got to show humanity. They've got a big problem, and I hope they're not going to be killing people. It would seem to me that they have been badly misbehaving, but that is not confirmed."
While responding to a question from CBS News reporter Emily Schrader during his tour of Ford Motor Company's historic River Rouge Complex in Michigan about reports of executions, Trump responded, "When they start killing thousands of people and now you're telling me about hanging [protesters], we'll see how that works out for them. It's not going to work out good."
Trump's remarks came amid heightened US messaging about the situation with Iran and a series of White House statements indicating that "many options" remain under review.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told journalists yesterday that airstrikes are among the "many, many options" under consideration, while stressing that diplomacy remains the administration's "first option."
Her comments followed a fresh directive from Trump aimed at countries doing business with Iran.
Trump announced that any country doing business with the Islamic Republic would face a 25 per cent tariff on all trade conducted with the United States.
In a statement, Trump said, "Effective immediately, any country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a tariff of 25% on any and all business being done with the United States of America. This order is final and conclusive."
The developments come as Iran has been witnessing sustained nationwide protests since late December, drawing divided reactions internationally, with some governments expressing concern over what they describe as foreign-instigated riots, while others have accused Iranian authorities of responding violently to demonstrators, Al Jazeera reported.
The death toll includes 505 protesters, among them nine children, as well as 133 members of Iran's military and security forces, one prosecutor, and seven civilians who were not involved in the demonstrations. The current protest, in its 17th day, has spread nationwide, with 606 gatherings across 187 cities, according to HRANA.