WASHINGTON:
President Donald Trump made a vague statement Wednesday that he had been informed “on good authority” that plans for executions in Iran had been halted, even as Tehran indicated swift trials and executions to come as part of its crackdown on protesters.
The US president’s claims, made with few details, come as he told Iranian protesters in recent days that “help is on the way” and that his administration would “act accordingly” in responding to the Iranian government. But Trump offered no details on how the United States might respond and it was unclear whether his comments Wednesday indicated he would refrain from action.
“We have been told that the killings in Iran are stopping – they are stopping – they are stopping,” Trump said at the White House as he signed executive orders and laws. “And there is no plan for executions, no executions, no executions – so I was told that on good authority.”
“I hope it’s true,” he said. “Who knows?”
Asked if that meant he wasn’t considering taking action against the Iranian government, Trump said: “We’re going to monitor that and see what the process is. But we got a very good statement from people who are aware of what’s going on.”
The president consulted with his national security team on next steps on Tuesday after telling reporters he believed the killings in Iran were “significant.”
Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and top White House National Security Council officials began meeting last Friday to hammer out options for Trump, ranging from a diplomatic approach to military strikes.
The crackdown on protests by Iranian security forces has left at least 2,586 people dead, the US news agency Human Rights Activists News Agency reported.
Iranian officials said on Wednesday that suspects arrested during nationwide protests would be tried and executed quickly, while the Islamic Republic promised a “decisive response” if the United States or Israel intervened in the domestic unrest.
The threats came as some personnel at a key US military base in Qatar were advised to evacuate on Wednesday evening following Trump’s repeated warnings of possible military action following the killing of peaceful protesters.
Mohammad Pakpour, commander of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guards, reiterated Iranian claims, without providing evidence, that the United States and Israel were behind the protests and that they were the real killers of the demonstrators and security forces who died in the turmoil, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.
He added that these countries “will receive the response within the appropriate time frame.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, head of Iran’s judiciary, said the government must act quickly to punish more than 18,000 people who have been arrested in rapid trials and executions. Mohseni-Ejei’s comments on the speed of trials and executions were made in a video shared online by Iranian state television.
“If we want to do a job, we have to do it now. If we want to do something, we have to do it quickly,” he said. “If it comes late, two months, three months later, it doesn’t have the same effect. If we want to do something, we have to do it quickly.”
The comments are a direct challenge to Trump, who warned Iran against executions in an interview with CBS that aired Tuesday. “If they do such a thing, we will take very strong action,” Trump said.
