President Claims Over 800 Hangings Were Scheduled
U.S. President Donald Trump has publicly thanked Iran’s leadership for what he claims was the cancellation of mass executions of protesters, as a deadly wave of unrest across the country appears to be subsiding after a harsh government crackdown.
In a post on his social media platform, Trump stated that “all scheduled hangings, which were to take place yesterday (Over 800 of them), have been cancelled by the leadership of Iran. Thank you!” He added that the move was “greatly respected.” The Iranian government has not publicly announced any such plans for mass executions or confirmed their cancellation.
Calm Returns to Tehran Streets
Several residents of Tehran contacted by Reuters reported that the capital has been comparatively quiet for four consecutive days. While surveillance drones were observed flying over the city, there were no signs of major protests on Thursday or Friday. A resident from a northern city on the Caspian Sea also reported calm streets. All sources declined to be identified for safety reasons.
The protests, which began on December 28 over economic grievances, escalated into widespread demonstrations calling for political change. The unrest culminated in severe violence last week, resulting in a significant death toll. According to opposition groups and an Iranian official, more than 2,000 people were killed, marking the worst domestic turmoil since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
U.S. Military Posture and Diplomatic Efforts
The immediate prospect of a U.S. military attack has receded since Wednesday, when Trump indicated he had been informed that killings in Iran were easing. However, U.S. officials stated that additional military assets are expected to arrive in the region, underscoring ongoing tensions.
Intense diplomatic efforts were undertaken this week by U.S. allies, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, to deter a potential American strike. A Gulf official warned that such action would have severe repercussions for the wider region and ultimately impact the United States. Concurrently, Israel’s intelligence chief was in the U.S. for talks on Iran, with Israeli forces reportedly on “peak readiness.”
Emerging Accounts of Violence
As government-imposed internet restrictions eased this week, more harrowing accounts of the crackdown have emerged. One woman in Tehran told Reuters her 15-year-old daughter was killed by security forces as she tried to return home from a demonstration. “She was not a terrorist, not a rioter,” the mother said.
Video footage verified by Reuters, recorded inside a forensic medical center in Tehran, showed dozens of bodies lying on floors and stretchers. The date of the video could not be independently verified.
Opposition Calls and Sporadic Unrest
Reza Pahlavi, the U.S.-based son of Iran’s last shah, has urged the international community to increase pressure on Tehran to support protesters. “The Iranian people are taking decisive action on the ground. It is now time for the international community to join them fully,” Pahlavi stated.
While the Norwegian-based Kurdish rights group Hengaw reported no major protest gatherings since Sunday, it noted that “the security environment remains highly restrictive.” There were still reports of sporadic violence, including the alleged killing of a female nurse by government forces in Karaj, west of Tehran.
The state-affiliated Tasnim news agency reported that rioters set fire to a local education office in Isfahan Province on Thursday. The official death toll reported by the U.S.-based HRANA group has risen to 2,677, a figure Reuters cannot independently verify but which dwarfs casualties from previous periods of unrest in Iran.
