WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday he has been assured the killing of protesters in Iran has stopped, pulling back from threats to strike the country for now.
“We’ve been told that the killing in Iran is stopping – it’s stopped – it’s stopping. And there’s no plan for executions, or an execution, or execution – so I’ve been told that on good authority,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
Reports suggest over 4,000 Iranians had been killed and that executions were going to be used as punishment were imminent, but Trump did not announce military action. It is understood he had reviewed the full range of options to strike Iran.
“There were supposed to be a lot of executions today,” Trump said, adding that “the executions won’t take place – and we’re going to find out.”
According to the New York Times, after Trump’s remarks on Wednesday afternoon, the Pentagon was preparing to stand down forces and allow troops to return to base, with a senior US military official describing the president’s comments as “an off-ramp”.
Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, told Fox News “there is no plan” by Iran to execute people in retaliation for the anti-government protests.
Some personnel at a key US military base in Qatar were advised to evacuate, and the US embassy in Kuwait ordered its personnel to temporarily stop going to the numerous military bases in the small Gulf Arab country.
Iran executed more than 1,500 prisoners last year and Amnesty International urged the international community to act decisively to bring its systematic human rights abuses to an end.
The latest comments from Trump prompted a 3% drop in oil prices as concerns over possible disruption to global supplies lessened. Gold and silver also dipped on the news. Crude prices had surged in recent days as Trump talked about coming to the aid of Iranian protesters.
