NEW DELHI: US President Donald Trump on Friday said Iran’s leadership had called off the executions of hundreds of protesters arrested during a recent crackdown, thanking Tehran for the move.In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Iranian authorities had cancelled scheduled hangings that were to take place a day earlier. “I greatly respect the fact that all scheduled hangings, which were to take place yesterday (Over 800 of them), have been cancelled by the leadership of Iran. Thank you!” he wrote.
Trump’s comments came amid international concern over Iran’s handling of protests and the treatment of demonstrators detained during the crackdown. Tehran had reportedly planned mass executions of protesters before reversing the decision.The death toll from the protests continues to climb, according to activists. However, President Trump suggested that the likelihood of US military action was diminishing, citing Iran’s decision to halt planned executions.Trump’s optimistic assessment contrasted with the more complex realities on the ground in Iran, but it appeared to mark a retreat from his earlier remarks that had implied a US strike could be imminent.Previously, Trump had posted about Iran and the protesters, saying, “Help is on the way.” When asked on Friday whether that promise still stood, he responded, “Well, we’re going to see.”Pressed on whether anyone had persuaded him to step back from what seemed like threats of military action, Trump said, “Nobody convinced me. I convinced myself.”He added, “They had more than 800 hangings scheduled yesterday. They didn’t hang anyone. They canceled the hangings. That had a big impact.”
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