Thursday 15 / January / 2026
US President Donald Trump has said he was told Iran has halted the killing of protesters and will not carry out executions, while adding he would "watch it and see" on threatened military action.
Speaking at the White House on Wednesday, Trump said he had received assurances from "very important sources on the other side" that Tehran had stopped the killings and that executions would not go ahead.
Trump had in recent days repeatedly raised the prospect of aiding the Iranian people amid a crackdown that rights groups say has killed at least 3,428 protesters.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later echoed Trump's remarks, saying there were no plans to execute protesters.
In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Araghchi said there was no plan to hang anyone and repeated claims that foreign "terrorist elements" were behind violence during the protests.
He also alleged, without providing evidence, that some deaths were intended to draw the United States into the conflict, referring to what he described as an "Israeli plan."
Tensions remained high early Thursday as Iran briefly closed its airspace to commercial flights without explanation. The closure lasted more than four hours on a major East-West air route, forcing international carriers to divert north and south, before appearing to expire with several domestic flights resuming just after 7 a.m.
US pulls some troops from Middle East bases amid Iran threat
The United States has begun withdrawing some personnel from military bases in the Middle East amid rising tensions with Iran, a US official said on Wednesday.
The move followed a warning from a senior Iranian official that Tehran had told neighboring countries it would strike American bases if Washington launches an attack.
As Iran's leadership struggles to contain the most serious domestic unrest in the country’s history, Tehran has been trying to deter repeated threats by US President Donald Trump to intervene on behalf of anti-government protesters.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said personnel were being pulled from key regional bases as a precaution because of the heightened risk environment.
"All the signals are that a US attack is imminent, but that is also how this administration behaves to keep everyone on their toes. Unpredictability is part of the strategy," a Western military official told Reuters news agency.
At the White House, Trump struck a more cautious tone, suggesting he was taking a wait-and-see approach to the crisis.
