Iran Halts Protesters’ Executions Following Online Outrage

The Iranian government has announced it will hold off on the planned executions of three young protesters, condemned to death for their participation in last year’s mass protests. Following a huge social media campaign, which included millions of citizens and many celebrities and influencers sounding their opposition online, the authorities declared a retrial had been ordered for the three young men. The unrest in November of last year was sparked by the continuing rise of oil prices and brought thousands to the streets, hundreds of whom were reportedly killed by armed forces. Earlier Wednesday, a large fire erupted in the port city of Bushehr on the Persian Gulf, damaging seven Iranian ships. Local authorities did not report any casualties and did not publicly identify the cause of the blaze. The incident continues the endless string of mysterious fires and blasts wreaking havoc in Iran over the past month. The most notable of these was the explosion in the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, which some intelligence sources attributed to Israel and the US, and which was said to have set back Iran’s nuclear program by at least a year.