Iran halted killings and death sentences of protesters: Trump

US President Donald Trump has claimed that Iran has suspended the killing of protesters and the execution of detained individuals, following warnings from the United States.

Speaking to reporters at the White House in Washington on Wednesday, Trump said, “We have received reliable reports that the killings of protesters in Iran have stopped. At the same time, plans to carry out death sentences for those arrested or detained have also been put on hold.”

Earlier, on Tuesday, Trump called on Iranian protesters to continue their movement via a post on his social media platform, Truth Social. In the post, he alleged that indiscriminate shootings were being used to suppress demonstrations. He also stated that no meetings would be held with Iranian officials until such killings cease, while assuring support to protesters and using the slogan “Make Iran Great Again.”

Later, in an interview with U.S. media outlet CBS, Trump said that reliable information on the exact number of deaths since the protests began in Iran is not yet available. However, the U.S. administration is aware that the number of fatalities is significant.

It is noteworthy that for the past two weeks, widespread anti-government protests have been ongoing in Iran, growing increasingly intense. The unrest has primarily been triggered by a prolonged economic crisis, currency devaluation, and rampant inflation.

Currently, the Iranian rial is one of the weakest currencies in the world, trading at nearly 994,000 rials to one U.S. dollar. As a result, the prices of essential goods—including food, clothing, housing, and medical care—have become largely unaffordable for ordinary citizens.

In this context, on December 28, wholesale and retail traders in various Tehran markets called a strike to protest rising inflation and the increasing cost of living. From there, the protests quickly spread across the country. Within a few days, the movement had reached almost every city and village in Iran’s 31 provinces.

To suppress the protests, the Iranian government shut down the internet and mobile networks. In addition, the army was deployed alongside the police and security forces. According to various sources, over 12,000 people have been killed in the clashes so far, and thousands of protesters have been arrested.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Iranian officials announced that detained protesters would face expedited trials and potential death sentences. However, just a few hours after that announcement, Trump claimed that the killings of protesters and executions had been halted in Iran.