U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday he had been informed that killings linked to Iran’s crackdown on nationwide protests were subsiding and that there were currently no plans for large-scale executions, even as tensions between Tehran and Washington remain high.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said U.S. officials had received assurances suggesting a slowdown in the violence. “We’ve been notified, and pretty strongly, but we’ll find out what that all means,” he said. “We’ve been told that the killing in Iran is stopping. It’s stopped.”
Trump added that he had also been told executions of anti-government protesters were being halted. “There’s no plan for executions, an execution or executions. I’ve been told that on good authority,” he said, while cautioning that the situation would need to be verified.
The U.S. president's claims, which were made with few details, come as he's told protesting Iranians in recent days that "help is on the way" and that his administration would "act accordingly" to respond to the Iranian government. But Trump has not offered any details about how the U.S. might respond and it wasn't clear if his comments Wednesday indicated he would hold off on action.
The president on Tuesday consulted with his national security team about next steps after telling reporters he believed the killing in Iran was "significant."
Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and key White House National Security Council officials began meeting last Friday to develop options for Trump, ranging from a diplomatic approach to military strikes.
The Iranian security force crackdown on the demonstrations has killed at least 2,586, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported.
