Donald Trump has said he has been told “the killing in Iran has stopped”, but the US president has not ruled out military action against the country over its violent crackdown on anti-government protesters.
According to human rights groups, more than 2,400 people have been killed in the recent crackdown by the Iranian authorities in response to nationwide protests.
Trump’s comments on Wednesday came after the US and UK both reduced the number of personnel at the Al-Udeid air base in Qatar. Officials told CBS, the BBC’s US partner, that a partial American withdrawal was a “precautionary measure”.
Iran’s airspace was closed to nearly all flights for five hours overnight, with several airlines announcing that they will reroute flights around Iran.
The UK’s Foreign Office has also temporarily closed the British embassy in Tehran, which will now operate remotely, a government spokesperson said.
Trump had earlier threatened “very strong action” against Iran if the government executed protesters, after reports emerged that a 26-year-old man who had been arrested during the height of the demonstrations had been sentenced to death.
Erfan Soltani was scheduled to be executed on Wednesday, his family had told BBC Persian. They later told the Norway-based Kurdish human rights group Hengaw that his execution had been postponed.
On Thursday, Iranian state media said Soltani was arrested during the protests but denied he was sentenced to death.
Speaking from the White House, Trump said his administration had been told “on good authority” that “the killing in Iran is stopping, and there’s no plan for executions”.
When questioned by a reporter, Trump said that “very important sources on the other side” had informed him of the developments, adding that he hoped the reports were true.
