Will Irfan Sultani not be executed in Iran? Trump speaks on military option, says I will not say what I will do
Washington (The Uttam Hindu): Protests against Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have continued for more than two weeks, with the Iranian government adopting a strict approach to suppress the unrest. Earlier, the authorities had announced the death sentence of a 26-year-old protester who was arrested on January 8, raising fears of imminent executions, including that of Irfan Sultani.
Amid this situation, US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday (local time) that he had received reliable information indicating that killings in Iran have stopped and the executions that were feared will now not take place. Trump stated that he had warned Iran earlier that if violence against protesters did not end, the United States would step in to help them.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said he had recently been informed that Iran has halted executions and that there is no plan to carry them out. According to him, many people believed that executions were scheduled soon, but fresh information suggests otherwise. However, he did not disclose the source of this information or explain how it was conveyed.
Trump said, “Today was believed to be the day of execution, and the important thing is that we are told it will not happen.” When asked whether Iranian authorities would actually follow through on this, he responded cautiously, saying, “We will see what happens. If it does happen, we will all be very upset, and then you will be very upset too.”
On being questioned about whether this development rules out a military option against Iran, Trump refused to dismiss any possibility. He said, “We will see what the process is. I am not going to tell you what I am prepared to do.” Reacting to reports of clashes and violence inside Iran, he mentioned that he had been told about firing between security forces and protesters, but stressed that the most important issue was the stopping of executions.
Trump did not announce any new policy or action by the United States and said the administration would closely monitor the situation. The remarks came during a question-and-answer session after a signing ceremony at the White House, where Trump also addressed issues related to Venezuela and Greenland. Concluding his remarks on Iran, he said, “We will watch. We will see what happens.”