President Trump threatened to “take very sturdy motion” if Iranian authorities start hanging anti-government protesters this week.
“We are going to take very sturdy motion. In the event that they do such a factor, we’ll take very sturdy motion,” Mr. Trump instructed “CBS Night Information” anchor Tony Dokoupil throughout an unique community interview in Dearborn, Michigan, that aired Tuesday night time.
Mr. Trump mentioned he is conscious a “fairly substantial quantity” of individuals have been killed over the greater than two weeks of demonstrations. Sources tell CBS News not less than 12,000 — and presumably upwards of 20,000 — are actually feared lifeless, as movies present physique luggage lined up at a morgue in Tehran.
In a social media put up Tuesday, Mr. Trump warned Iranian officers will “pay a giant value” for any violence and promised Iranian residents that “HELP IS ON ITS WAY.” He mentioned he would cancel all conferences with Iranian officers till the killings stopped.
Through the interview, Mr. Trump reiterated that “there’s a whole lot of assistance on the best way” for Iranian residents, saying it is being provided in “totally different types,” together with financial help. He talked about the U.S. airstrikes final yr focusing on three of Iran’s nuclear amenities, however provided no different specifics.
When requested what his endgame is in Iran, the president mentioned: “The endgame is to win. I like profitable.”
Requested what “profitable” means, he ticked off a listing of army operations from his first and second phrases: the current capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, the 2019 Syria raid that culminated within the dying of ISIS founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and the 2020 assassination of Qassem Soleimani, the top of Iran’s elite Quds army power.
He continued: “We do not wish to see what’s taking place in Iran occur. And you recognize, in the event that they wish to have protests, that is one factor, after they begin killing hundreds of individuals, and now you are telling me about hanging — we’ll see how that works out for them. It is not going to work out good.”
Watch Tony Dokoupil’s full interview with President Trump on CBSNews.com and the CBS Evening News YouTube channel.
