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New Delhi: The White House has confirmed that Iran has withdrawn its plan to carry out 800 executions after US President Donald Trump exerted pressure.
As Iran continued violent crackdown on anti-government protesters, the Trump administration sounded a strict warning that option of military action remains. Human rights groups have revealed that the crackdown has claimed lives of over 2,600 people.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump’s team issued a clear warning to Tehran, linking the planned executions to what the Washington dubbed as the violent repression on demonstrators.
“The president understands today that 800 executions that were scheduled and supposed to take place yesterday were halted,” Leavitt told reporters. “All options remain on the table for the president.”
The Press Secretary added Trump had cautioned Tehran of “grave consequences” if killings linked to the protests continued.
Leavitt said Trump has been closely tracking Iran protests and was given assurances by Iranian officials that executions and killings would be halted.
There has been a growing concern over the fate of 26-year-old Iranian protester Erfan Soltani, who was facing the prospect of imminent execution after being detained around a week earlier.
Earlier, Trump had said he had been told that both protest-related killings and planned executions had been halted.
The White House's confirmation that Iran had halted the planned executions came just after the US slapped new sanctions on five Iranian officials alleged to have been instrumental in initiating the violent crackdown on protesters. According to reports, Washington also said that it was tracking Iranian leaders' funds being wired to international banks.
In a statement, the US Treasury Department pointed out that it imposed sanctions on the Secretary of the Supreme Council for National Security as well as Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and law enforcement forces commanders, accusing them of being architects of the crackdown.
In a video on Thursday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington's message to Iranian leaders was clear: "US Treasury knows, that like rats on a sinking ship, you are frantically wiring funds stolen from Iranian families to banks and financial institutions around the world. Rest assured, we will track them and you."
"But there's still time, if you choose to join us. As President Trump has said, stop the violence and stand with the people of Iran."
