DUBAI/WASHINGTON, Jan 15 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said he had been told that killings in Iran’s crackdown on protests were easing and that he believed there was no current plan for large-scale executions, adopting a wait‑and‑see posture after earlier threatening intervention.
After Iran’s foreign minister said Iran had “no plan” to hang people, Iranian state media on Thursday reported that a 26-year-old man arrested during protests in the city of Karaj would not be given the death sentence.
Earlier this week, rights organisation Hengaw reported that 26-year-old Essam Soltani, arrested in connection with protests in the city of Karaj, was due to be executed on Wednesday.
Iranian state media said that while Soltani was being charged with colluding against “internal security and propaganda activities against the regime”, the death penalty does not apply to such charges – if they are confirmed by a court.
Hengaw, citing his relatives, said a previously communicated order for his execution had been postponed.
OIL AND GOLD PRICES EASE
Trump’s comments on Wednesday led oil prices to retreat from multi-month highs and gold eased from a record peak on Thursday. Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene on behalf of protesters in Iran, where the clerical establishment has cracked down hard on nationwide unrest since December 28.
People inside the country, reached by Reuters on Wednesday and Thursday, said the protests appear to have abated since Monday. Information flows have been hampered by an internet blackout for a week.
Tensions had escalated on Wednesday, with Iran saying it had warned neighbours it would hit American bases in the region in the event of U.S. strikes, and a U.S. official saying the United States was withdrawing some personnel from bases in the region.
Trump, speaking at the White House, did not rule out possible U.S. military action, however.
In separate comments, Trump told Reuters in an exclusive interview that Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi “seems very nice” but expressed uncertainty over whether Pahlavi would be able to muster support within Iran to eventually take over.
Trump said it is possible the government in Tehran could fall due to the protests, but that in truth “any regime can fail.”
Qatar said on Wednesday drawdowns from its Al Udeid air base, the biggest U.S. base in the Middle East, were “being undertaken in response to the current regional tensions”.
Iran launched missiles at Al Udeid last year in response to U.S. airstrikes on its nuclear installations during the 12-day war between Tehran and Israel.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday to discuss regional developments and ways to support security and stability in the region, Saudi state media reported.