President Trump threatened strong action against Iran as the country's supreme leader warned about swift trials and potential executions for anti-government protesters.

Tehran

Unrest continues in Iran as the government threatens to execute protesters, prompting international concern and a vow of strong action from the U.S. President. Analysts suggest that if the U.S. intervenes, its focus would likely be on Iran's security forces, particularly the Revolutionary Guards and Basij units, which are central to the crackdown.

Experts note that U.S. actions could include military strikes, cyber operations to disrupt regime communications, and psychological tactics to influence regime loyalists. The report highlights the complexity of the situation and the potential for significant regional and global impacts depending on the U.S. response.

Unrest in Iran as regime threatens executions over protests

For more on the situation with Iran, let's bring in CBS News foreign correspondent Ramey Nascencio, who's joining us from our London bureau. So Ramey, the president, as you heard, is vowing this very strong action if Iran starts hanging protesters. So we had the former deputy director of the CIA here, who says that perhaps some of the action that the president is suggesting may actually be underway. We're just not aware of it. But what are you hearing? Yeah, well, you know, let's be frank here. When President Trump said that help is on its way, a lot of people, myself too, probably thought does that mean American military strikes, as we've been seeing in terms of this push through the Western Hemisphere? And if so, the Iran analysts that I've been speaking with say that one focus, as Charlie also mentioned, would be hitting Iran's security apparatus that is cracking down. Take a listen. Namely, the Revolutionary Guards, otherwise known by its acronym IRGC. And it's, you know, minor units called the Basij that are linked to it, that are essentially the brains and the muscle behind the crackdown. Fatonka, he is Iran director at the Middle East Institute in Washington. Now, the IRGC is not Iran's conventional army, but it's a parallel religious force that actually protects the country's Islamic system itself. It's got a major base in each of the country's 31 provinces, two in Tehran to protect the capital, and then more than 50,000 smaller bases across the country. So it is widespread. But here is a twist. Fatonka told me that if the U.S. hits Iran's nuclear sites again, like last summer, then that would actually reveal Trump's top priority. Here's more. That's helping the United States, maybe, in terms of its strategic aims or friends like Israel. It's not helping the protest movement. So the United States needs to get this right in the sense of targeting those military units. Otherwise, people will be looking at it cynically, saying he's taking advantage of the moment of chaos in Iran to advance goals that might be good goals for the United States, but certainly is not what he's promising the protest movement. Yeah. And you said if Trump gets it right, then he can turn Iran into an ally, like before 1979. This would be a generational turn, and he said with positive shocks across the Middle East and around the world. And Rami, beyond strikes, what other options are on the table? Sure. Technological, they're talking about cyber here. Also psychological options, too, from defense officials who've talked to CBS News. On the tech side, the big thing could be disrupting communications. This is so that Iran's clerics can't talk with their commanders, and then those commanders then theoretically wouldn't be able to talk with their lieutenants on the ground doing the crackdown that they've been doing. This is hitting what's called command and control nodes. And then there's a psychological aspect, Adrian, of fear, trying to influence the loyalists in the regime with negative and positive incentives. And I spoke with Mideast military expert Saab Bilal. He's at Chatham House. Positive being, you know, you defect, then you can have some kind of a political future, or at least we won't kill you, right? Negative is precisely that, like all sorts of punishment ranging from, you know, elimination to irrelevance, to going after their property, is going after everything that is dear, they hold dear to them. So the choice there of life or loss or even death. And he said that the Ayatollah, got to talk about him, is probably very nervous of being assassinated himself. Of course, after his proxies and those leaders from Hamas to Hezbollah have been assassinated over the past few years. Ramy Nassensiou, with a very comprehensive breakdown of what's happening out there for us. Ramy, thank you, as always, my friend. Appreciate it.

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Anti-government protests in Iran show no sign of stopping. Human rights groups are putting the death toll at 116 with 2600 detained. U.S. President Donald Trump has reaffirmed U.S. support for the protesters.

Protests in Iran defy government crackdown

Iran's army is threatening to join the crackdown on protesters as demonstrations against the regime grow and the death toll mounts. Huge crowds have taken to the streets across the Islamic Republic. Iran's Revolutionary Guard calls them "terrorists." Haley Ott has more details.

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