President Trump on Wednesday said Iran had stopped killing antiregime protesters and wouldn’t execute those it accused of trying to topple the government, appearing to narrow the possibility that the U.S. was about to launch military strikes against the country.
Speaking at the White House, Trump told reporters that the U.S. had been notified Iran had “no plans to carry out any executions of protesters.”
“We’ve been told that killing in Iran is stopping—it has stopped,” Trump said. “That has just gotten to me, some information, that the killing has stopped, that the executions have stopped—they are not going to have an execution, which a lot of people were talking about for the last couple of days. Today was going to be the day of execution.” He said that he hoped what officials had been told was true.
Trump has been considering military strikes on Iranian targets in recent days amid reports that thousands of protesters have been killed and others who have been arrested could soon be put to death, The Wall Street Journal previously reported, but has received briefings on a range of options.
Asked if military action was off the table, he said, “We’re going to watch it and see what the process is, but we were given a very good statement by people that are aware of what’s going on.”
Earlier Wednesday, the U.S. military said it was evacuating some personnel from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar as a precaution. The personnel are moving out of the base, where the U.S. military has a major presence, given the escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran, a U.S. official and another person familiar with the matter said.
Later in the day, Iran closed its airspace to flights, except those given permission by the authorities in Tehran.
Trump on Tuesday told Iranians demonstrating against their government that “help is on its way.” He also told reporters Tuesday that Americans in Iran should consider evacuating the country.
The president ordered a strike on Iranian nuclear sites during a 12-day war in June. Iran retaliated by firing missiles at Al Udeid, but they did little damage, with most intercepted by air defenses.
Iran warned Sunday it could strike U.S. bases in the Middle East, shipping lanes or Israel in the event of a U.S. attack.
Trump’s stepped up warnings to Iran come as the death toll grows in protests that are now in their third week. The group Human Rights Activists in Iran said Wednesday the toll had surpassed 2,400, as the regime has moved to crush demonstrations. It said more than 140 members of the government security forces had been killed and that more than 18,000 people had been detained.
Other rights groups have put the toll even higher, though a six-day continuing internet blackout and phone service disruptions have made it difficult to verify them.
Aboard Air Force One on Tuesday, Trump told reporters he was expecting a report on the latest situation in Iran and dismissed a threat by the country’s leaders to retaliate to any U.S. attack.
Trump for days has received briefings from top members of his team, including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who have presented him with a suite of options. Many of the options don’t involve force of arms, including cyberattacks, sanctions or supporting antiregime messaging online, officials said.
Trump for now has ruled out negotiations with Iran, he said Tuesday on Truth Social: “I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS.”
Why are the Iran protests happening?
Iran’s economy has gone into free fall. On Dec. 28, the rial plunged to 1.48 million to the dollar, triggering protests by merchants in Tehran’s central bazaar who said they could no longer conduct business. Ordinary Iranians, watching their purchasing power evaporate by the hour, soon joined them. Within a week, demonstrations had spread to all 31 provinces.
As the protests grew, demands shifted from economic relief to calls for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic. Iran’s theocratic regime, in power since 1979, is deeply unpopular among much of the country’s population of roughly 90 million. Analysts point to years of mismanagement and corruption, but say the economic collapse accelerated sharply after the United Nations reimposed sanctions in September over Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons.
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