U.S. President Donald Trump indicated a potential cooling of tensions, stating he received assurances from “very important sources” that the lethal crackdown on Iranian protesters had slowed. Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump claimed that planned executions of demonstrators had been halted, though he maintained that military options remain “on the table” if violence resumes. His shift in tone follows a week of intense rhetoric where he promised that “HELP IS ON ITS WAY” and threatened “very strong action” against the Islamic Republic.
Trump says Iran has stopped killing protesters: ‘There’s no plan for executions’ https://t.co/gbC1mJzS4w pic.twitter.com/wmOKbTl3jU
— New York Post (@nypost) January 15, 2026
In a rare direct engagement with Western media, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Fox News that “hanging is out of the question” and denied any plans for mass executions. Araghchi insisted that Tehran has regained “full control” after what he described as a “terrorist operation” involving foreign-backed agitators. Despite these denials, human rights organizations including Amnesty International and Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) report a staggering death toll, with confirmed fatalities surpassing 3,400 and some unverified estimates reaching as high as 12,000.
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The regional situation remains precarious. On Wednesday, the U.S. and Britain began precautionary personnel withdrawals from the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar following Iranian threats of retaliation against any host nation that facilitates a U.S. strike. While the street protests have reportedly subsided due to heavy security deployments and a near-total internet blackout, analysts warn that the underlying economic and political grievances continue to simmer, leaving the prospect of further escalation high.
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