Judiciary chief threatens swift punishment after Trump says US will intervene if Iran begins executing demonstrators

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The Iranian government has signalled that detained protesters are to face speedy trials and executions, defying a threat by the US president, Donald Trump, to intervene if authorities continue their crackdown.

The comments from Iran’s chief justice on Wednesday came as human rights groups warned that executions of protesters could take place soon. A 26-year-old protester, Erfan Soltani, was slated to face execution on Wednesday, the first anti-government demonstrator to be given a death sentence. It was unclear whether the execution had proceeded or not, as authorities typically carry out death penalties at dawn.