The wreckage of a burnt bus bearing a banner that reads 'This was one of Tehran's new buses that was paid for with the money of the people's taxes,' in Tehran's Sadeghieh Square on Thursday.ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images
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.
Rights organization Hengaw, which reported earlier this week that Erfan Soltani was due to be executed on Wednesday, said a previously communicated order for his execution had been postponed, citing his relatives.
Ottawa advises Canadians to leave Iran immediately
In a social media post on Thursday, Trump responded to a news report that an Iranian protester was no longer being sentenced to death, writing: “This is good news. Hopefully, it will continue!”
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.
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 Dec. 28.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in an interview that Iran has 'no plan' to carry out hangings, when asked about the anti-government protests in the country.
Reuters
Protests appear to abate
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.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Thursday the government was trying to address some of the economic problems that first spurred the protests, saying it intended to tackle issues of corruption and foreign exchange rates and that this would improve purchasing power for poorer people.
Despite this, Washington tightened pressure on Tehran on Thursday by imposing sanctions on five Iranian officials it accused of being behind the crackdown, and said it was tracking Iranian leaders’ funds being wired to banks around the world.
The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on the Secretary of the Supreme Council for National Security as well as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and law enforcement forces commanders.
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“U.S. Treasury knows, that like rats on a sinking ship, you are frantically wiring funds stolen from Iranian families to banks and financial institutions around the world. Rest assured, we will track them and you,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a video. “But there’s still time, if you choose to join us. As President Trump has said, stop the violence and stand with the people of Iran.”
Sanctions were also imposed on Fardis Prison, where the U.S. State Department said women have “endured cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment.”
The Group of Seven countries said it was prepared to impose additional restrictive measures on Iran if it continued to crack down.
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 said he had been told by “very important sources on the other side” that killings in the crackdown were subsiding.
He did not rule out potential U.S. military action but said his administration had received a “very good statement” from Iran.
Trump said on Wednesday that he had been told that killings in Iran’s crackdown on nationwide protests were subsiding and that he believed there was currently no plan for large-scale executions.
Reuters
Trump uncertain about support in Iran for Shah’s son
Paul Salem, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute think-tank, said that while Trump has appeared to back away from action against Iran, he remained unpredictable.
Iran’s government is at “a strategic dead end, but I don’t think they are at immediate risk of state collapse or regime change,” he added.
In comments to Reuters, Trump expressed uncertainty over whether Reza Pahlavi, the son of the late shah of Iran and a prominent figure in Iran’s fractured opposition, would be able to muster support within Iran to eventually take over.
Trump told Reuters it was possible Iran’s government could fall but that in truth “any regime can fail.”
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Turkey, one of several states in the region where the U.S. has forces, expressed opposition to the use of violence against Iran, with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan saying at a press conference in Istanbul that the priority is to avoid destabilization.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday and discussed ways to support security and stability in the region, Saudi state media reported.
The security warning level at the U.S. Al Udeid air base in Qatar has been lowered after a heightened alert triggered on Wednesday, three sources briefed on the situation told Reuters on Thursday. U.S. aircraft that were moved out of Al Udeid are gradually returning to the base, one of the sources added.
Huge protests in Iran have galvanized exiled foes of the authorities but despite their hatred of the ruling clerics, a bitter schism dating to before the 1979 Islamic Revolution still afflicts the leading opposition factions.
Reuters
Most violent unrest since 1979 revolution
The U.S.-based HRANA rights group says it has so far verified the deaths of 2,435 protesters and 153 government-affiliated individuals in the unrest that started with protests over soaring prices before turning into one of the biggest challenges to the clerical establishment since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The death toll has dwarfed that of previous bouts of unrest crushed by the Iranian authorities, and Iran and its Western foes have both described the unrest as the most violent since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Iranian authorities said the demonstrations turned from legitimate protest at economic grievances into unrest fomented by its foreign enemies, accusing people it described as terrorists of attacking the security forces and public property.
The intelligence ministry urged people on Thursday to report any suspicious activities, state media reported.
Are you or your loved ones affected by the situation in Iran?
As authorities continue violent crackdowns on mass anti-regime protests and the death toll rises, reporters are looking to speak with people in Canada who have loved ones currently in Iran. Are you trying to reach them during Internet blackouts or attempting to get them out of the country? Have you had experience with the regime? Tell us about your situation in the form below or send an e-mail to audience@globeandmail.com with "Iran" in the subject line. A Globe reporter may reach out to you for a story.