Iran blinks before Trump by ‘cancelling’ protestor hangings | World | News

Iran has bowed to pressure from the United States after “postponing” the execution of a young shop owner who had been due to be hanged on Wednesday.

Erfan Soltani, 26, was sentenced to death after taking part in an anti-government protest last Thursday, becoming the first demonstrator in the latest wave of unrest to receive such a punishment. His family had publicly appealed to Donald Trump to intervene.

In response to the sentencing, Mr Trump warned that the US would take “very strong action” if Iran began executing detained protesters, adding: “If they hang them, you’re going to see something.”

Tehran now appears to have taken notice of that warning after Erfan’s family said his execution would no longer take place on Wednesday.

However, relatives stressed the decision was only a delay, warning that Erfan — who remains in solitary confinement at Ghezel Hesar prison — could still be executed at any time.

Hours after the reported postponement, Mr Trump said he had been informed “on good authority” that plans for executions had stopped, despite signs Iran is preparing rapid trials and punishments as part of its crackdown.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi also sought to downplay the situation, insisting there was no intention to carry out executions.

“There is no plan” by Iran to hang people, he said when questioned about the protests.

“There is no plan for hanging. Hanging is out of the question,” the foreign minister told Fox News in an interview this evening.

Despite those assurances, a spokesperson for the Kurdistan National Army, a separatist group in Iran, told The Times executions would continue away from public view.

“They will not stop executions for a single minute,” the spokesperson said.

“This is one example of a trial and execution: [the chief justice of Iran, Gholam-Hossein] Mohseni-Ejei subsequently demanded that everyone who has been arrested be executed and killed.

“The difference with these types of executions is that they are carried out silently in basements. Unlike before, they do not bring them out in public.”

According to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights Society, hangings remain common within Iranian prisons.

Mr Araqchi also claimed that what began as 10 days of peaceful demonstrations over economic hardship had been followed by three days of violence orchestrated by Israel, before calm was restored.

Human rights organisation Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) says more than 3,400 people have been killed by Iranian security forces since protests erupted at the end of December.

Other unverified estimates suggest the death toll could be significantly higher, with figures ranging from 12,000 to as many as 20,000 killed as security forces continue operations across the country.

As fears of imminent US military action increase, Iran has moved to restrict air travel.

Flight tracking service Flightradar24 said Tehran had closed its airspace to all flights without permission.

The company said in a post on X that a notice had been issued stating the closure would last for “a little more than 2 hours.”

The US Embassy in Doha has also advised its staff and American citizens in Qatar to exercise “increased caution” due to the situation.

Officials urged people to limit non-essential travel to Al Udeid Airbase as they continue to monitor developments in Iran, which lies directly across the Persian Gulf.

Earlier on Wednesday, authorities confirmed they were reducing the number of US and UK personnel stationed at the base as a “precautionary measure.”

In breaking news, the UK has advised against all but essential travel to Iran’s arch-foe, Israel.