Khaberni - US President Donald Trump, on Wednesday, said he was informed that “executions” had stopped in Iran, amid human rights reports indicating severe repression by the authorities against those participating in anti-government protests.
Recently, Trump talked about offering assistance to the Iranian people in the face of a crackdown launched by the authorities, which human rights groups say has resulted in at least 3428 deaths.
During an event at the White House, Trump declared that he was informed by a "trusted source" that "the killing has stopped in Iran. It has stopped... and there are no planned executions," without providing further details.
In response to a question from reporters in the Oval Office about whether American military action was now off the table, Trump answered, "We will watch the situation and see how things go."
Later on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that no "hanging executions" would be carried out "today or tomorrow," despite previous commitments by Tehran to expedite the trials of protesters.
In an interview with "Fox News," Araghchi mentioned that ten days of peaceful protests due to economic difficulties facing Iran were followed by three days of violence orchestrated by Israel, emphasizing that calm had returned.
He added, "I can tell you, I am confident that there are no plans for carrying out hanging executions."
The Norway-based organization Hengaw stated that authorities had suspended the execution of a man detained during the protests, after NGOs and Washington warned of the potential execution on Wednesday.
Quoting relatives of the detainee, it reported that the execution of Erfan Soltani (26 years old) was scheduled for Wednesday but was postponed, adding that there are still "serious concerns" about his life.
- Warnings -
Earlier on Wednesday, Iran warned the United States that it is capable of responding to any attack, as sources reported that Washington withdrew personnel from the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, targeted by the Islamic Republic with missiles last year.
The tensions between the two adversaries, which have had no diplomatic relations since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, come after Trump warned Tehran against taking actions due to the protests' repression.
Human rights organizations state that the Iranian authorities have conducted the toughest crackdown in years on the ongoing protests, which began over economic demands before turning to political slogans, amid an internet blackout in recent days.
On Wednesday, the head of the judiciary, Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei, pledged "swift and public" trials during his visit to a prison in Tehran where some of the protesters accused of "rioting and terrorism" are detained, according to Iranian media reports.
On Wednesday, crowds gathered in Tehran to attend the funeral of more than 100 security forces and other "martyrs" killed during the ongoing protests, which authorities accused "rioters" of using to commit "terrorist acts."
Meanwhile, attributing it to "regional tensions," two diplomatic sources told Agence France-Presse on Wednesday that some personnel were asked to leave the Al Udeid military base in Qatar.
In June, Iran targeted the Al Udeid base with several missiles in response to American strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Ali Shamkhani, advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reminded the US president of what he called "the destruction of the Al Udeid American base with Iranian missiles," adding, "This will definitely help achieve a real understanding of Iran's resolve and its capability to respond to any attack."
Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia advised its staff on Wednesday to exercise caution and avoid military facilities.
Commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Mohammed Bagheri, confirmed on Wednesday that the Guard is in "the highest state of readiness to decisively respond to the enemy's miscalculations," describing Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as "murderers of Iran's youth."
