Iran To Hang Anti-Khamenei Protester Erfan Soltani; Trump Vows ‘Very Strong Action’ As White House Gets 50-Target Hit List | World News
Iran is preparing to execute 26-year-old anti-Khamenei protester Erfan Soltani, who lives in Fardis near Tehran, by hanging on January 14. The move triggered a stern warning from US President Donald Trump, who promised “very strong action” if the regime continued mass executions.
Speaking to CBS News, Trump said, “If they do something like this, we will take very strong action,” and called on Iranians to continue their uprising with the promise of “help is on the way.”
Who is Irfan Sultani?
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Irfan Soltani is a 26-year-old Iranian shopkeeper living in Fardis, a suburb of Karaj near Tehran. Soltani owns a clothing store and was not previously known as a political activist. He was arrested on January 8, 2026, for participating in anti-government protests due to economic hardship and corruption. He was sentenced to death for “waging war against God” in a very expedited process that lasted only two to four days.
Trump Administration Receives Iran Attack Target List
In a striking development, the Trump administration was presented with a complex target list of high-value military targets as the President considered an attack on Iran.
United Against Nuclear Iran, a Washington-based nonprofit group, compiled a dossier of 50 targets and delivered it to White House officials early Monday ahead of critical security meetings, the Daily Mail reported.
The document reveals the exact coordinates of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Tharallah Headquarters, the nerve center of the brutal crackdown on protesters. This headquarters effectively serves as the military’s command center and maintains operational control over police forces conducting deadly crackdown operations across the country.
Iran asks UN to condemn US over threats
Meanwhile, Iran’s Ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, called on the UN Secretary-General and the Security Council to condemn the US for inciting violence and threatening to use force against his country.
In his letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Somalia’s UN Ambassador Abukar Dahir Osman, who holds the Security Council rotating presidency for January, Iravani accused Trump of openly inciting violence in Iran. He referred to Trump’s posts on the social media platform Truth Social: “Iranian patriots, keep protesting, take over your institutions!!! … Help is coming.”
Iran Protests Enter Third Week, Death Toll Increases
The protests that started in Iran due to the economic crisis turned into a large-scale anti-regime rebellion. At least 2,571 people have died and 16,780 people have been arrested in the unrest, now in its third week. What began as demands for economic aid amid soaring inflation and shortages turned into open rejection of the clerics’ rule, with protesters chanting “Death to Khamenei” and “Death to the Dictator.” In Tehran and Mashhad, crowds burned pictures of Khamenei, lit cigarettes with flames and chanted “Pahlavi will return” in support of exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi.
Women played a pivotal role, leading the movement with a bold public defiance, removing their headscarves, shouting slogans from rooftops, and facing pressures on the front lines with fearless courage.
ALSO READ | Is Trump Planning to Attack Iran? White House Receives List of 50 Iranian Military Targets as Death Toll Reaches 2,571
