Possible US strike appears on hold as Iran says no executions planned Submitted by MEE staff on Thu, 01/15/2026 - 06:02 Tehran reopens its airspace after brief closure, warns against foreign intervention A man stands by the wreckage of a burnt bus in Tehran's Sadeghieh Square on 15 January 2026 (AFP) Off A potentially imminent US military strike on Iran appeared to be on hold after President Donald Trump said he had received assurances from “very important sources” in Tehran that planned executions of protesters would not take place. In remarks signalling a cautious easing of escalating tensions, Trump, speaking from the Oval Office, said the US would “watch and see”. "They've said the killing has stopped and the executions won't take place. There were supposed to be a lot of executions today and that the executions won't take place, and we're going to find out," Trump said. Asked if US military action was now off the table, Trump replied: "We're going to watch it and see what the process is." After Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran had "no plan" to hang people, Iranian state media on Thursday reported that a 26-year-old man, Erfan Soltani, arrested during protests in the city of Karaj would not be given the death sentence. On Thursday, Iran reopened its airspace after a five-hour closure that forced airlines to cancel, reroute and delay some flights as senior officials told journalists there had been no new "riots". Days of hightened tensions The development comes after days of build‑up and growing expectations of an American military response to Iran’s nationwide unrest, which authorities have suppressed with lethal force. Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) organisation reported that at least 734 protesters have been killed, including 12 children and thousands wounded. According to Reuters, more than 2,600 people may have been killed so far. AFP on Thursday quoted human rights groups placing the number at 3,428. Iran protests: How the internet blackout opened the door to a deadly crackdown Read More » Araghchi accused Israel of orchestrating violence and said the protests were infiltrated by external "elements who had a plan to create a big number of killings to provoke President Trump to enter into this conflict and start a new war against Iran". After Iran closed its airspace to commercial flights early Thursday, several municipalities in southern Israeli cities of Dimona, Beersheba and Gan Yavne announced that they were opening bomb shelters to the public. Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that chief of staff Eyal Zamir "directed an increase in defensive readiness across all formations" of the military. Tehran has warned that it will strike Israel and US military bases in the event of attacks on its territory. Iran has been engulfed in deadly protests since peaceful demonstrations began on 28 December, triggered by soaring prices and a worsening cost-of-living crisis. The protests grew, and were met with a severe crackdown, after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei declared in early January that “rioters must be put in their place". On Saturday night, footage showed large pro-government rallies in the capital as well as Mashhad in the east, where vehicles were set on fire. State television reported that "rioters" torched a mosque in Mashhad overnight. Human rights groups say more than 10,000 people have been arrested since the protests started. Iran ’s judiciary on Wednesday said it will move swiftly against the detainees, signalling fast-track trials and executions. Trump has issued warnings to the Iranian government against killing protesters, threatening intervention if they are harmed. US-Qatar coordination centre The United Nations has announced a meeting of the Security Council for "a briefing on the situation in Iran," after a request by the United States. Iran has urged the UN to condemn what it described as a US attempt to “destabilise” the country, after Trump earlier this week called on protesters to seize state institutions. From Iran to Venezuela, Trump toys with 'in-and-out' military options Read More » Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Mohammad Pakpour on Wednesday said that Iran is at “the height of readiness to respond decisively to the miscalculation of the enemy." In June, Iran launched missile strikes on the US al-Udeid air base in Qatar in retaliation for American strikes on its nuclear sites. The US had ordered some personnel at the base to evacuate by Wednesday evening, as Washington and Doha announced the opening of a new centre to coordinate air and missile defence. China and Turkey have pushed back against Washington’s rhetoric towards Iran, calling for restraint and dialogue after Trump openly threatened action over the protests. On Tuesday, the virtual US embassy for Iran warned American citizens to leave the country immediately without assistance from the US government. The British government announced that its embassy in Tehran has been temporarily closed, as India also urged its citizens to leave the country. Germany's Lufthansa on Wednesday said its flights would avoid Iranian airspace "until further notice". US-Iran Tensions News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0