Iran has reopened its airspace after a near-five-hour closure that disrupted flights, as US President Donald Trump claimed that executions of protesters in the country have been halted. Trump told reporters at the White House that “very important sources on the other side” had assured him that the killings had stopped and executions would not go ahead, though he provided no details and said the US had yet to verify the claims.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later told Fox News that “hanging is out of the question” and that there would be “no hanging today or tomorrow”. He insisted the situation was “under control” and urged the US to engage in diplomacy, warning that high tension would be “catastrophic for everyone”.
The family of Erfan Soltani, the first protester sentenced to death since the unrest began, has been told his execution has been postponed. The death toll from the regime’s crackdown stands at 2,571, with more than 18,100 arrested, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists news agency.
Trump also commented on Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi, saying he “seems very nice” but expressing uncertainty about whether he could muster support within Iran to take over. The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to meet on Thursday for a briefing on the situation in Iran, requested by the US.
Several countries, including Spain, Italy and Poland, have advised their citizens to leave Iran, following a US call urging its citizens to depart via land routes to Turkey or Armenia. The British embassy in Tehran has been temporarily closed, and some US and UK personnel have been evacuated from sites in the Middle East as a precaution.
