Iran signals trials, executions as activists say death toll surpasses 2,571

DUBAI/DOHA, Jan 14 (Reuters): Iran's top judge hinted at fast trials and executions for those who were detained in nationwide protests against the country's theocracy, even as activists said Wednesday that the death toll rose to levels unseen in decades, with at least 2,571 people killed so far.
Iran's judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, made the comments about trials and executions in a video Tuesday, despite a warning from US President Donald Trump that he would "take very strong action" if executions take place.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said the number of dead climbed to at least 2,571 early Wednesday. The figure dwarfs the death toll from any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution.
After Trump was informed of the number of deaths, he warned Iran's leaders that he was terminating any negotiations and would "act accordingly."
Details of the crackdown began emerging Tuesday as Iranians made phone calls abroad for the first time in days after authorities severed communications countrywide when the protests broke out.
Tens of thousands of mourners thronged the streets near Tehran University for the funeral of more than 300 security forces and civilians on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Tehran has warned neighbouring countries hosting US troops that it would retaliate against American bases if Washington carries out threats to intervene in protests in Iran, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday.
Three diplomats said some personnel had been advised to leave the main US air base in the region, although there were no immediate signs of a large-scale evacuation of troops as took place in the hours before an Iranian missile attack last year.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to intervene in support of protesters in Iran, where a rights group said 2,600 people have been killed in recent days in a crackdown on one of the biggest ever protest movements against clerical rule.
According to an Israeli assessment, Trump has decided to intervene, although the scope and timing of this action remains unclear, an Israeli official said.
Earlier, the death toll from a crackdown on protests in Iran jumps to at least 2,571, activists said early Wednesday.
The activist group said 2,403 of the dead were protesters and 147 were government-affiliated. Twelve children were killed, along with nine civilians it said were not taking part in protests. More than 18,100 people have been detained, the group said.
With the internet down in Iran, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran's government has not offered overall casualty figures.
That death toll dwarfs the death toll from any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Trump calls on Tehran to
show protesters humanity
US President Donald Trump was consulting with his national security team Tuesday about next steps with Iran as he looked to get a better understanding of the number of Iranian citizens who have been killed and arrested in more than two weeks of unrest throughout the country.
Trump said he believes that the killing is "significant" and that his administration would "act accordingly." He added that he believed the Iranian government was "badly misbehaving."
But the president said he has yet to receive a confirmed number of Iranians killed in the protests that began late last month, saying he has heard "five different sets of numbers" about the death toll.