President Trump Cites Halt to 800 Iran Executions for Pausing Strikes, Denies, Israeli, Arab Influence
Iran’s apparent decision to halt a mass wave of planned executions persuaded President Trump to hold off on military action against the Islamic Republic, he told reporters at the White House, denying reports that pressure from Israeli or Arab officials influenced his change of stance.
“Nobody convinced me. I convinced myself. You had yesterday scheduled over 800 hangings. They didn’t hang anyone. They canceled the hangings. That had a big impact,” he said.
Earlier this month, President Trump vowed military action if the Iranian regime killed protesters. Over several weeks of demonstrations, human rights groups reported that thousands of protesters were killed and tens of thousands arrested.
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The White House said Thursday that Iran had called off 800 executions slated for Wednesday, following President Trump’s statement a day earlier that he had been told the killing of protesters had stopped. Iranian authorities, however, have not publicly acknowledged plans to execute hundreds of detainees.
President Trump publicly welcomed what he described as a reversal by Iran’s leadership, writing on his Truth Social account: “I greatly respect the fact that all scheduled hangings, which were to take place yesterday (over 800 of them), have been cancelled by the leadership of Iran. Thank you!”
During a phone call between President Trump and Netanyahu on Thursday, the Israeli premier urged the president not to strike Iran until Israel was prepared for retaliation, Axios reported. Officials from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Egypt also stated their objections to the threat of US strikes, citing the danger of destabilizing the region with military action against Iran.
Despite President Trump’s comments, Israeli assessments suggest that military action has not been ruled out. Two Hebrew-language media outlets reported Friday that Jerusalem still views a potential US strike as possible. Channel 12 said the option remains under consideration, while Kan reported that any decision would hinge on the progress of diplomatic efforts.
