Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has denied that Tehran plans to execute antigovernment protestors, after United States President Donald Trump said he had received assurances that killings of demonstrators in Iran had stopped.
– Araghchi said “there is no plan for hanging at all.”
– “Hanging is out of the question,” he said.
– Araghchi’s remarks came after Trump earlier told reporters that he had been assured that killings of protesters in Iran had stopped and that planned executions were halted.
– Trump said he had spoken to “very important sources on the other side”, and he would watch how the crisis developed, although he did not rule out potential US military action.
– “We are going to watch what the process is”, he said, before noting the US administration received a “very good statement” from Iran.
– Trump has a track record of negotiating with Iran while simultaneously threatening military action.
– Trump has threatened Iran with military strikes in the past as a means of pressuring Tehran into greater alignment with US demand sand has said during the last week that a harsh response by Iranian authorities to the country’s protesters could result in US attacks.
– Earlier on Wednesday, Britain and the US withdrew some personnel from the airbase in Qatar – Al Udeid Air Base, which hosts US troops and other international forces – after a senior Iranian official said Tehran had warned neighbours it would hit US bases if Washington strikes.
– A number of countries have also issued advisories for protecting their citizens in the region amid fears of a wider regional escalation.
– Pentagon had begun moving an aircraft carrier strike group from the South China Sea towards the Middle East.
– Iran has said it is prepared to retaliate in the event of any US intervention.
– The commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Mohammad Pakpour, has said that Iran is ready to respond “decisively” to its foes, Israel and the US, which he accused of being behind the protests sweeping the country.
– IRGC is at “the height of readiness to respond decisively to the miscalculation of the enemy”, said Pakpour in a written statement quoted by state television.
– Araghchi told Fox News that his government was in full control after a deadly crackdown on protests that had spread across the country since January 8.
– “After three days of terrorist operation, now there is a calm. We are in full control,” Araghchi said.
– People in the city and across the country are anxious because they have psychologically felt the shadow of war since the 12-day conflict with the US and Israel in June.
– The protests started in December when shopkeepers took to the streets to protest against a fall in the value of the local currency and the soaring cost of living, and quickly escalated into widespread antigovernment demonstrations.
– More than 100 security personnel have been killed in two weeks of unrest, according to Iranian state media, while opposition activists say the death toll is higher and includes thousands of protesters.
– Iran is currently in the midst of a near-total telecommunications blackout.
– The shutdown had surpassed 144 hours.