© EPA/AARON SCHWARTZ / POOL Referring to “reliable sources.”
The US President, Donald Trump, indicated that, based on details he received, Iran has supposedly ceased the killing of protestors and revoked intentions to put detained demonstrators to death. He communicated this on January 14, during a presentation and the signing of legislation in the White House’s Oval Office.
“We possess information concerning Iran that we will be discussing… We have been informed that the slayings in Iran are being halted,” Trump stated.
He expressed that the Iranian governing body has also reportedly called off schemes to execute protestors apprehended by security forces during recent disturbances. The US leader affirmed that the executions, previously reported by rights groups, would not occur.
“That is the information I’ve been given, and my sources are dependable. We will see. I am certain that if that were to transpire, we would all be highly displeased, and you too. However, I have just been apprised that the slayings have been stopped, the executions have been ceased. They are not proceeding with the execution that many have referenced over the past few days. Today was allegedly the scheduled day for the execution,” Trump remarked.
Concurrently, he underscored that the United States is still considering the potential for forceful action and intends to “observe and evaluate the situation.”
“No, we will observe how the process unfolds. We received a very favorable declaration from individuals who comprehend the ongoing events,” the president pointed out, responding to reporters’ inquiries about whether he had dismissed the option of military engagement.
Trump demurred from specifying who provided him with these assurances, simply stating that he possessed “very dependable sources on the other side.” He appended that he would be “extremely displeased” if the Iranian authorities did move forward with the executions.
The US president’s utterances occurred amid an exceptionally strained situation in Iran. According to the American human rights organization, Human Rights Activists News Agency, at a minimum of 2,400 demonstrators have been slain in the country since the commencement of a stringent crackdown on protests last month. At the same time, an internet shutdown persists in Iran, and the atmosphere in Tehran, according to local inhabitants, remains “exceptionally challenging and fraught.”
Previously, there was acute worry about the situation of Erfan Soltani, a 26-year-old protestor, who was apprehended less than a week prior and who, according to his family and the US Department of State, could encounter execution.
Despite Trump’s placatory discourse, heightened US military action has been noted in the region. According to US news outlets, at least half a dozen tanker aircraft have departed for Al-Udeid air base in Qatar. Similar activity was previously observed – on the eve of US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. Moreover, certain US personnel were advised to briefly evacuate one of the military installations in Qatar “for safety considerations.”
Trump had earlier openly voiced backing for Iranian protestors and asserted that “assistance is forthcoming,” while cautioning Tehran against putting participants in anti-government demonstrations to death.
Public shootings, internet blackouts, Starlink interference, and the initial open executions. Iran is advancing into a period where each choice could represent a point of no return.
Vyacheslav Likhachev, an affiliate of the expert council of the Center for Civil Liberties, thoroughly examines the potential paths ahead for the nation.
Discover what might genuinely alter the course of affairs and why external involvement isn’t a universal answer in the article “From protests to civil war? Four and a half possible outcomes for Iran.”