WHITE HOUSE SAYS IRAN HALTED 800 PLANNED EXECUTIONS AMID PROTESTS

Fri 16 January 2026:

The White House said Thursday that Iranian authorities had “halted” 800 scheduled executions amid weeks of protests, adding that Washington is “closely monitoring” the situation.

“The president understands today that 800 executions that were scheduled and supposed to take place yesterday were halted,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

Leavitt said the administration of US President Donald Trump continued to assess developments related to Iran and signaled that further steps remain possible.

“The president and his team are closely monitoring this situation and all options remain on the table for the president,” Leavitt said.

Trump has repeatedly vowed to back protesters in Iran, where a crackdown by authorities is said to have resulted in thousands of casualties. He said this week that Washington would take “very strong action” if Iran carried out executions of protesters.

Iranian officials have accused the US and Israel of backing “riots” and “terrorism” in the protests.

Iranian authorities have not released official figures on casualties or detainees. The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), a US-based group, estimates that over 2,600 people have been killed, including protesters and security personnel.

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US sanctions Khamenei aide, other Iranian officials

The United States has imposed new sanctions against Iran, targeting political and security officials over the crackdown on antigovernment protesters, amid US President Donald Trump’s threats to intervene militarily against the country.

The US penalties on Tuesday targeted Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), and several other officials, who it said were the “architects” of Tehran’s “brutal” response to the demonstrations.

“The United States stands firmly behind the Iranian people in their call for freedom and justice,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.

“At the direction of President Trump, the Treasury Department is sanctioning key Iranian leaders involved in the brutal crackdown against the Iranian people. Treasury will use every tool to target those behind the regime’s tyrannical oppression of human rights.”

The sanctions freeze the individuals’ assets in the US and make it illegal for American citizens to do business with them.

Pro-Trump senator claims reports Trump does not intend to attack Iran ‘beyond inaccurate’

US Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican who has pushed for US military intervention in Iran, has said recent reports that Trump does not seek to attack Iran are “wildly inaccurate”.

In a post on X dismissing such reports, Graham said, “The circumstances around the necessary, decisive action to be taken against the evil Iranian regime have nothing to do with President Trump’s will or determination.”

“Quite the opposite. Stay tuned,” he added.

Trump admin warns Iran of ‘grave’ consequences if ‘killing continues’

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says President Trump and his team have “communicated” to Iran that “if the killing continues, there will be grave consequences”.

Trump last night appeared to dial back his rhetoric against Iran, saying that he had been assured by Tehran that arrested protesters would not be executed.

“The president understands today that 800 executions that were scheduled and supposed to take place yesterday were halted”, she told reporters.

“The president and his team are closely monitoring this situation and all options remain on the table for the president.”

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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