US President Donald Trump suggested on Wednesday that Iran was backing down on executions after the case of an Iranian protester detained for taking part in anti-government demonstrations drew the attention of human rights activists and the US State Department.
“I’ve been told that the killings are stopping in Iran and there are no plans for executions,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “The killings have stopped. The executions have stopped.”
In recent days, Iran has raised the possibility of executing Iranian protester Erfan Soltani, 26, who was captured within the past week, according to his family and the State Department.
“There are no plans for any executions or executions,” President Trump told reporters. “I was told that on legitimate authority. We’ll look into it. If that happens, I’m sure I’ll be very upset.” Trump did not immediately provide details about the source.
Somayeh, a member of Soltani’s family, told CNN that while the execution did not go as planned, it has not been canceled and the family is awaiting further information.
Norway-based human rights group Hengau reported late Wednesday that Soltani’s execution had been postponed.
However, Iranian judiciary officials on Thursday disputed claims that Soltani was scheduled to be executed, saying he had not been sentenced to death and was not likely to be sentenced to death, according to state media IRIB news agency.
According to IRIB news agency, a statement from the Iranian Judicial Media Center denied the claims, calling them “fabricated news.”
According to the IRIB news agency, judicial authorities announced that Soltani was arrested on January 10 and formally charged with “gathering and collusion against internal security” and “propaganda” against the regime. He argued that even if his charges were proven, the judicial authorities would not sentence him to death because the punishment would not apply to his charges.
He is being held in Karaj Central Prison, about 42 kilometers northwest of Tehran, a judicial official said in a statement.
The State Department said in a post on X on Tuesday that Iranian authorities are planning to execute Soltani, who was arrested at his home last week in connection with protests in Fardis, a city about 40 miles west of Tehran.
“More than 10,600 Iranians have been arrested by the Islamic Republic’s regime simply for demanding their fundamental rights, including Erfan Soltani, 26, who was sentenced to death on January 14,” the State Department said.
Somae, who asked not to be identified by his full name due to security concerns, told CNN on Tuesday that Soltani was an “incredibly kind and warm-hearted young man” who “has always fought for the freedom of Iran.”
Somae said Soltani was not allowed a lawyer or appeal after he was sentenced to death, but the trial was rushed.
Regional experts say hasty death sentences and sham trials are common in Iran.
“This time, the Islamic Republic regime did not even bother with the usual 10-minute sham trial,” the US State Department said in a post on X.
In an interview with Fox News broadcast on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said hanging protesters was “out of the question.”
“I can say that with confidence. There are no plans for hanging,” he said, adding that reports to the contrary were part of a “misinformation campaign” aimed at “provoking President Trump and dragging him into this issue with potentially dire consequences.”
Iranian Attorney General Mohammad Movahedi Azad said over the weekend that legal proceedings against protesters, whom he called “terrorists”, would be carried out “without leniency, mercy or appeasement,” according to the semi-state Tasnim news agency.
On Wednesday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) announced that its intelligence networks had received nearly 400,000 official reports, leading to arrests in some cases.
Hengau said Soltani was arrested at his home last Thursday. Four days after his arrest, his family was informed that his execution was scheduled, the paper said.
Soltani’s family has been denied access to any information about his case, including the charges against him, Hengau reported on Monday. His sister, a certified lawyer, is trying to pursue the case, but “authorities have so far prevented her from accessing the case file,” the group said.
Hengoe said his family was given only a “brief opportunity for a final visit” before his execution.
Fears of the execution have heightened tensions between the United States and Iran, with President Trump considering military action against the Iranian regime.
On Tuesday, President Trump warned Iran not to execute protesters and said the United States would take “strong action” in response.
“If they do something like that, we will take very strong action,” the president said in an interview with CBS News, without elaborating on what that action would be. President Trump told CBS he had not heard any reports of hangings, but warned that such a development could prompt a strong U.S. response.
“We don’t want to see what’s happening in Iran happen. And you know, if they want to protest, that’s another thing. When they start killing thousands of people and now you’re talking to me about hangings, we’ll see how it goes for them,” President Trump said. “That won’t work.”
Somee’s family asked President Trump for help.
“Our demand now is for President Trump to truly stand behind his statements, because the Iranian people took to the streets based on those statements,” she told CNN on Tuesday. “Unarmed residents believed these words and are now being shot. Please, please do not execute Erfan. Please.”
CNN’s Kevin Liptak and Helen Regan contributed to this report.
