In a significant de-escalation of recent tensions, US President Donald Trump has stated he received assurances that the Iranian regime has ceased using lethal force against anti-government demonstrators and will not proceed with planned executions.
A Surprise Announcement from the White House
Speaking at the White House on Wednesday, President Trump adopted a more measured tone, revealing that "very important sources on the other side" had informed him the crackdown had stopped. "They’ve said the killing has stopped and the executions won’t take place – there were supposed to be a lot of executions today," Trump stated, though he added the United States had yet to independently verify these claims.
This follows reports from the Norway-based group Iran Human Rights, which estimated that at least 3,428 people have been killed and more than 10,000 arrested in the widespread protests. The first protester sentenced to death, Erfan Soltani, was widely expected to be executed on Wednesday, but his family has since been informed the execution has been postponed.
Diplomatic Moves and Military Posturing
The comments from Washington came alongside a noticeable softening of rhetoric from Tehran. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Fox News that "hanging is out of the question" and there was no plan for executions in retaliation for the unrest. He urged the US to choose diplomacy over conflict, stating, "Between war and diplomacy, diplomacy is a better way."
Earlier, a series of actions had sparked global alarm that military confrontation could be imminent. Iran temporarily closed its airspace, leading major airlines like Lufthansa to reroute flights avoiding Iranian and Iraqi airspace. Simultaneously, US personnel at key bases in Qatar and Kuwait were advised to evacuate or exercise extreme caution. A senior Iranian official had warned that Tehran would attack regional countries hosting US bases, such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey, if the US launched a strike.
The UK temporarily closed its embassy in Tehran, while Spain, Poland, and Italy urged their citizens to leave Iran. However, the swift reopening of Iranian airspace hours later signalled a rapid shift away from the brink.
Market Reactions and Political Uncertainty
The apparent easing of tensions had an immediate impact on global markets. Oil prices fell by a sharp 3% as fears of supply disruption from the region lessened, with gold and silver prices also dipping. Crude prices had surged in recent days as President Trump talked of coming to the aid of Iranian protesters.
When asked about the potential for US military action now, Trump replied, "We’re going to watch it and see what the process is." In a separate interview, he expressed uncertainty about the role of exiled opposition figure Reza Pahlavi, whose dynasty's flag was seen at protests outside the Iranian embassy in London. "He seems very nice, but I don’t know how he’d play within his own country," Trump said of Pahlavi.
Internationally, the UN Security Council is scheduled to meet to discuss the situation, and G7 foreign ministers stated they were "prepared to impose additional restrictive measures" on Iran over its handling of the protests and use of violence.
