President Donald Trump on Wednesday said Tehran has pledged to not carry out the executions of protesters, in a possible sign of de-escalation amid growing expectations that the US would attack Iran.
Mr Trump told reporters at the White House that Iranian sources had told the US “the killing has stopped and the executions won’t take place”.
“There was supposed to be a lot of executions today, and that the executions won’t take place. And we’re going to find out,” he said. “I hope it’s true. Who knows, right?”
When asked if this meant military action was off the table, Mr Trump said: “We're going to watch and see what the process is.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday there is “no plan” by Iran to hang people, when asked about the anti-government protests.
“There is no plan for hanging at all,” the Foreign Minister told Fox News in an interview on the Special Report with Bret Baier show. “Hanging is out of the question,” he said.
Mr Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene in support of protesters in Iran, where a rights group said more than 2,500 people have been killed in the crackdown on one of the biggest waves of protest against clerical rule.
Human rights groups based outside Iran say some of the protesters confirmed dead were shot at close range with live ammunition by security forces. They accuse the government of killing protesters, while the authorities have blamed deaths on “armed terrorists” backed by the US and Israel.
Iranian authorities have not provided official figures for the number of people killed. External rights groups have compiled tallies based on reports from civilians in Iran, but this has become more difficult since Tehran imposed an almost total internet shutdown last Thursday.
Iranian authorities have accused the US and Israel of fomenting the unrest. The Intelligence Ministry said on Wednesday that several “ringleaders” had been arrested over alleged acts of sabotage and terror during the protests. Mobile phones and receivers were confiscated, said officials.
