ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - US President Donald Trump on Friday said 32,000 people have been killed in Iran as a result of the authorities’ crackdown on the nationwide protests.

“You know the people of Iran are a lot different than the leaders of Iran and it’s a very very sad situation but 32,000 people were killed over a relatively short period of time,” Trump told reporters on Friday.

“They were gonna hang 837 people and I gave them the word, ‘if you hang one person, even one person, then you’re gonna be hit right then and there,’” Trump continued.

Last month, Iran’s prosecutor general Mohammad Movahedi Azad denied Trump’s claims that Tehran had halted 800 executions following his intervention, stating: “Neither such a number exists nor has the judiciary made such a decision.”

Iran has repeatedly referred to the recent nationwide protests as “foreign plots,” and labeled the demonstrators “terrorist elements” working for the US and Israel.

The Iranian judiciary has stated that there will be “no leniency” for those acting against the country’s security. Those arrested could face charges often punishable by death under the Islamic republic’s judicial system.

Charges include “corruption on Earth” (efsad-e fel-arz), “enmity against God” (moharebeh), and “armed rebellion against the state” (baghi).

“I feel very badly for the people of Iran. They’ve lived in hell,” Trump added.

The US and Iran have recently resumed indirect negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program.

On Thursday, Trump said it would be clear over the next 10 days whether a nuclear deal with Iran is possible, “otherwise bad things happen.”

On the other hand, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday said Tehran would be ready to submit a draft agreement over the next few days.

Both Tehran and Washington have hailed the progress made during the two rounds of resumed negotiations, held in Oman and Switzerland respectively, though a large-scale US military buildup in the region has elevated Iranian fears of yet another military intervention.

The two sides held several rounds of similar talks in June last year, which came to a halt after Israel launched a full-fledged war against Iran, killing top brass commanders and nuclear scientists. The US later joined the strikes by bombing key nuclear facilities across the Iran.

Recent reports indicate that the US military is now fully prepared for an attack on Iran.