Iran was expected to execute Erfan Soltani, a 26-year-old protester, on Wednesday, according to human rights groups and family members. Soltani was sentenced to death shortly after his detention.

The planned execution comes as Iran attempts to suppress anti-regime protests that began more than two weeks ago. Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, the country's chief justice, called for swift trials and executions of rioters, a term officials have used to describe the protesters, according to a video shared Wednesday by the semiofficial news agency Tasnim. "Those elements who beheaded people in the streets or burned people alive must be tried and punished as quickly as possible," he said. "If we don't do it fast, it won't have the same impact."

Soltani's execution would mark the first death sentence carried out during the current wave of antigovernment unrest, which began on Dec. 28. He was arrested on Jan. 8 at his home west of Tehran and has been denied access to a lawyer or other means to mount a defense, according to the Norway-based Hengaw Organization for Human Rights.

President Trump has threatened strong action if Iran proceeds with the execution. The specific nature of the potential action was not detailed.

The protests in Iran were triggered by economic grievances and have since expanded to include broader demands for political change. The Iranian government has responded with a crackdown, including arrests and the use of force against protesters. Human rights organizations have expressed concern about the fairness of the trials and the severity of the sentences being handed down to protesters. The situation remains fluid, with international pressure mounting on Iran to halt the executions and address the underlying causes of the unrest.