Iran halts 800 executions after Trump threat: White House

Iran has suspended plans to carry out nearly 800 executions under pressure from the United States, the White House has claimed. The information was shared by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt during a briefing on January 15.

Leavitt said the US president had been informed that around 800 executions scheduled for Wednesday had been halted. She added that all options remain on the table for the United States to stop what she described as killings in Iran, and that this message had been conveyed directly to Iranian officials.

According to Leavitt, the Islamic Republic of Iran was forced to take this step due to pressure from President Donald Trump and US allies in the Gulf region of the Middle East.

Protests erupted across Iran in late December over the fall in the value of the currency and rising living costs, later turning into political demonstrations. Human rights group HRANA said at least 2,403 people have been killed and 18,434 arrested so far. Amnesty International has described the situation as an “unprecedented level of unlawful killings” and urged the United Nations to take urgent action.