Iran promised on Wednesday not to execute protesters convicted during the wave of protests that have jeopardized the regime, according to President Donald Trump.
Trump previously warned of severe consequences if Iran committed executions or hangings of protesters.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said he had been notified “pretty strongly” that the “killing in Iran would be stopping.”
“There’s no plan for executions … an execution or executions, so I’ve been told that on good authority. We’ll find out about that. I’m sure if that happens, we’ll be very upset, and you’ll be upset,” he told reporters.
Trump, speaking around 3 p.m., said the information had just gotten to him. Tehran hit midnight at 3:30 p.m. in Washington — any possible public executions are unlikely to take place during nighttime.
Trump said the United States would continue monitoring the situation in Iran, in response to a question about military action being taken off the table, and he was noncommittal about future moves in the region.
One protester, Erfan Sultani, 26, was expected to be hanged on Wednesday, after a rushed trial. Sultani, a shop owner in Tehran, was arrested on Jan. 8, when the deadliest phase of the crackdown began. He was charged with moharebeh, “waging war against God,” and given just 10 minutes to bid farewell to his family, the Guardian reported. Hours before he was set to be hanged, however, the execution was called off, according to Trump.
Iran uses hanging as its primary method of execution, which is used liberally. Thousands have been hanged in Iran over the past few years, most of them privately, but some in a public setting to instill fear in the populace.
Tehran appears to feel existentially threatened by the protests, to which it has responded with the most brutal force. After shutting down the internet and suppressing Starlink terminals, Iran deployed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps troops to crush the protests, using live ammunition and even mounted machine guns, according to reports.
IRANIAN PROTESTS TESTING TEHRAN’S GRIP ON POWER UNLIKE PREVIOUS ROUNDS
Iran’s internet blackout has extended past one week, with the exact picture still unclear. The monopoly on information could hypothetically give Tehran the capability to privately execute Sultani, but it would put Iran in even greater danger if the news got out.
Everyone out on the street protesting is now considered a legitimate target.
Iranian Justice Minister Amin Hossein Rahimi announced, “Anyone who has been present on the streets since January 8 onward is definitely considered a criminal.”
The hanging came despite Trump’s warning of severe consequences if they went forward, making a military strike much more probable. Trump was first asked about the hangings on Tuesday during an interview with CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil, to which he responded he hadn’t heard of the news but that strong action would result if they happened.
“If they hang them, you’re going to see some things that — I don’t know what your, where you come from and what your thought process is — but you’ll perhaps be very happy,” he responded.
“We will take very strong action. If they do such a thing, we will take very strong action,” Trump added.
TRUMP PLEDGES ‘VERY STRONG ACTION’ IF IRAN BEGINS HANGING PROTESTERS
“We don’t want to see what’s happening in Iran happen. And, you know, if they want to have protests, that’s one thing. When they start killing thousands of people, and now you’re telling me about hanging, we’ll see how that works out for them. It’s not going to work out good,” he continued.
The current death toll is believed to be anywhere from 500 to over 12,000 protesters killed.