President Donald Trump asked the Iranian government to release eight women slated for execution, ahead of the next round of negotiations.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump took a notably softer tone than in his usual pronouncements regarding Iran, framing the request as a goodwill favor ahead of negotiations.
“To the Iranian leaders, who will soon be in negotiations with my representatives: I would greatly appreciate the release of these women,” the president wrote. “I am sure that they will respect the fact that you did so. Please do them no harm! Would be a great start to our negotiations!!!”
He attached a screenshot of a post with pictures of eight women who are reportedly slated for hanging.
Notably, the rapid deterioration in U.S.-Iran relations that led to the current war began when Trump warned Tehran against harming protesters. The massive U.S. military buildup began soon after the Jan. 8 and 9 crackdown that saw the mass killing of protesters despite Trump’s warning.
Weeks later, Trump claimed credit for the alleged calling off of a mass hanging.
“I said, ‘If you hang those people, you’re going to be hit harder than you’ve ever been hit,’” he told reporters on Air Force One in January. “And an hour before this horrible event, they canceled it,” he said. “That was a good sign.”
“I stopped 837 hangings on Thursday, would have been dead, every one of them, mostly young men,” Trump said at the time.
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Tehran denied Trump’s claim, with Iranian Prosecutor General Mohammad Movahedi-Azad saying the “judiciary is an independent institution and does not take orders from foreigners.” He added that “the claim by the American president about 800 executions in Iran is wrong.”
U.S. and Iranian negotiators are scheduled to meet in Islamabad, Pakistan, for a final round of negotiations before the two-week ceasefire ends. The two sides haven’t been able to bridge the sizable gap in demands.