President Donald Trump said at the White House on Wednesday that he had been told the killing of Iran’s protesters was stopping and that there was “no plan for executions.” Trump made the remarks as Tehran has indicated fast trials and executions ahead in its crackdown, according to the Associated Press.
Trump said, “We’ve been told that the killing in Iran is stopping — it’s stopped — it’s stopping,” adding that “there’s no plan for executions, or an execution, or executions — so I’ve been told that on good authority.” He did not specify where he received the information, describing it instead as coming from “very important sources on the other side.”
Trump said he would “find out” later if the information was true, without explaining how the determination would be made. When asked whether that meant he was not planning action against Iran, Trump said: “We’re going to watch it and see what the process is.” He added that the U.S. had been given “a very good statement by people that are aware of what’s going on.”
The remarks came after Trump told reporters earlier this week that the killing was “significant,” and after he consulted with his national security team about next steps. At the time, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and key White House National Security Council officials began meeting last Friday to develop options that ranged from a diplomatic approach to military strikes.
The U.S. comments also followed recent messaging to protesting Iranians, including statements that “help is on the way” and that the administration would “act accordingly” in response to the Iranian government. Trump’s Wednesday comments did not offer details about what, if any, response he might take.
Iranian officials, meanwhile, have signaled that suspects detained during nationwide protests would face fast trials and executions. Iranian state reporting also described Tehran promising a “decisive response” if the U.S. or Israel intervened in the domestic unrest.
The crackdown has led to international rights monitoring figures. The Associated Press reported that the Human Rights Activists News Agency, based in the United States, said the security force crackdown on the demonstrations has killed at least 2,586 people.
In parallel, Mohammad Pakpour, a commander in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, reiterated Iranian claims that the United States and Israel instigated the protests. Tasnim reported that Pakpour said those countries would “receive the response in the appropriate time,” without providing evidence.
Earlier on Wednesday, Iran’s judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei said in a video shared by Iranian state television that the government must act quickly to punish more than 18,000 people detained through rapid trials and executions. He said, “If we want to do a job, we should do it now,” and argued that delays would reduce the effect, saying that if action became late—“two months, three months later”—it would not have the same impact.
Trump had previously warned Iran about executions in an interview with CBS aired Tuesday, saying: “If they do such a thing, we will take very strong action.”