President Donald Trump made a vague statement on Wednesday saying he had been told “on good authority” that plans for executions in Iran had stopped, even as Tehran indicated that fast trials and executions lay ahead as part of its crackdown on protesters.
The US president’s claims, made with few details, came as he has told protesting Iranians in recent days that “help is on the way” and that his administration would “act accordingly” in response to the Iranian government. Trump has not offered specifics on how the United States might respond, and it was unclear whether his comments on Wednesday suggested he would hold off on any action.
“We’ve been told that the killing in Iran is stopping – it’s stopped – it’s stopping,” Trump said at the White House while signing executive orders and legislation. “And there’s no plan for executions, or an execution, or executions – so I’ve been told that on good authority.”
Trump did not specify the source of the information, describing it only as coming from “very important sources on the other side”.
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He said he would “find out” later whether it was true, without explaining how.
“I hope it’s true,” he said. “Who knows?”
Asked whether that meant he was not planning to take action against the Iranian government, Trump 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.”
The president on Tuesday consulted his national security team about next steps after telling reporters he believed the killing in Iran was “significant”.
Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and key White House National Security Council officials began meeting last Friday to develop options for Trump, ranging from a diplomatic approach to military strikes.
The Iranian security forces’ crackdown on demonstrations has killed at least 2,586 people, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.
On Wednesday, Iranian officials signalled that suspects detained in nationwide protests would face fast trials and executions, while the Islamic Republic promised a “decisive response” if the United States or Israel intervened in the domestic unrest.
The threats emerged as some personnel at a key US military base in Qatar were advised to evacuate by Wednesday evening, following Trump’s escalated warnings of potential military action over the killing of peaceful demonstrators.
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Mohammad Pakpour, commander of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, reiterated claims – without providing evidence – that the United States and Israel had instigated the protests and were responsible for the deaths of protesters and security forces during the turmoil, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.
He added that those countries would “receive the response at the appropriate time”.
Earlier on Wednesday, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, Iran’s judiciary chief, said the government must act quickly to punish more than 18,000 people detained during the protests through rapid trials and executions. His comments were made in a video shared online by Iranian state television.
“If we want to do a job, we should do it now. If we want to do something, we have to do it quickly,” he said. “If it becomes late – two months, three months later – it doesn’t have the same effect. If we want to do something, we have to do that fast.”
The remarks appeared to directly challenge Trump, who warned Iran about carrying out executions in an interview with CBS aired on Tuesday.
“If they do such a thing, we will take very strong action,” Trump said.
(FRANCE 24 with AP)
