Iran Halts 800 Planned Executions After Trump Ultimatum, White House Says

The White House on Thursday claimed that Iran has stepped back from plans to carry out nearly 800 executions following intense pressure from US President Donald Trump. The announcement comes amid mounting international outrage over Tehran’s crackdown on nationwide anti-government protests, which Human Rights groups say has left more than 2,600 people dead.

According to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, the Trump administration delivered a clear and forceful message to Iranian officials, warning that the scheduled executions were directly tied to what Washington described as “violent repression of demonstrators” and would trigger severe consequences.

Speaking at a press briefing, Leavitt said, “The president understands today that 800 executions that were scheduled and supposed to take place yesterday were halted.” She added that the administration was continuing to assess the situation closely and that the president’s options remain open.

Reiterating the administration’s position, Leavitt told reporters that Trump had been briefed on the situation and was informed that executions planned in connection with protest-related cases had been stopped. “Every option remains available to the president,” she emphasized.

The White House announcement came just hours after the United States imposed new Sanctions on five Iranian officials accused of orchestrating a violent crackdown on demonstrators. According to a Reuters report, Washington has also begun monitoring cash transfers made by Iranian authorities to foreign banks as part of broader efforts to increase economic pressure on Tehran.

US officials said the fresh sanctions and financial monitoring measures are intended to signal that the administration is prepared to escalate its response if the situation inside Iran continues to deteriorate.

Leavitt further stated that Trump had issued a warning to Tehran, threatening “severe repercussions” should protest-related killings and executions continue. She noted that the president has been closely monitoring developments and receiving regular updates from his national security team.

According to the press secretary, Iranian authorities have since conveyed assurances that both executions and killings linked to the protests will cease. “The president and his team have communicated to the Iranian regime that if the killing continues, there will be grave consequences,” she said.

Trump says Iran has stopped killing protesters

Earlier, President Trump publicly declared that Iran had halted the killing of anti-government demonstrators following days of escalating warnings and diplomatic pressure from Washington.

Trump’s remarks came amid growing concern over the fate of Iranian protester Erfan Soltani, a 26-year-old who was detained less than a week ago and was reportedly at risk of execution.

Speaking to reporters in Washington, Trump said he had been informed that both planned executions and protest-related killings had been stopped. He described the development as a direct result of the administration’s warnings.

“The executions have stopped, and they’re not going to have an execution, which a lot of people were talking about over the last couple of days,” Trump said, underscoring what he characterized as progress.

Trump repeated that message, stressing that executions linked to the unrest were no longer expected to proceed and that Iran had been made aware of the consequences of continuing such actions.

Iran denies plans to carry out executions

Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has denied reports that Tehran was planning to execute protesters by hanging in connection with the demonstrations.

In an interview with Fox News, Araghchi said there was “no plan for hanging” and described such punishment as “out of the question,” dismissing claims made by US officials and human rights groups.

Iran, however, has a long and documented history of using hanging as a method of execution, a fact frequently cited by international rights organizations.

Historically, hanging has been one of the primary execution methods employed by Iranian authorities, particularly in politically sensitive cases.

Despite Tehran’s denials, the situation remains under close international scrutiny, with Washington maintaining that it will continue to apply pressure until it sees verifiable and lasting changes on the ground.