India, Jan. 9 -- Amid a big escalation in ongoing protests in Iran, US President Donald Trump on Friday suggested that the country's 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei may be looking to flee.

In an interview with Fox News's Sean Hannity, Trump was asked if he was aware of reports suggesting Khamenei would be going to Russia. In response, Trump said: "He's looking to go someplace, it's getting very bad."

The President also said that the US would hit the Iranian authorities "very hard" if people protesting there are hurt. "Well, we're going to hit them hard. We're ready to do it. If they do that, we're going to hit them hard," Trump said, after he suggested that people were being gunned down, prisoned, hung and killed.

Tru...