On January 15th, there were signs of easing tensions in Iran. Iranian authorities claimed that a 26-year-old man who was arrested during protests was never sentenced to death, and the charges against him were not eligible for the death penalty according to the law. The previous night, on January 14th, US President Trump stated that he had learned that Iran’s killings of protesters had slowed down, leading him to adopt a wait-and-see attitude.
Iran’s Foreign Minister had stated in an interview with US Fox News the day before that Iran had “no plans” to execute protesters. On the 15th, Iranian state media reported that the judiciary department announced that the 26-year-old man, Erfan Soltani, arrested during protests in the central-northern city of Karaj, had not been sentenced to death.
According to the Iranian judiciary, Soltani is currently detained at Karaj Central Prison, facing charges of “assembly to harm national security” and “hostile propaganda against the regime.” If the court finds these charges to be true, he will only face imprisonment, as the death penalty does not apply to such offenses.
The Kurdish human rights organization ‘Hengaw’ based in Norway, citing Soltani’s relatives, stated that the previously notified execution order had been postponed. The organization had previously pointed out that Soltani ran a clothing store and was arrested at his home, with the Iranian authorities handing down a death sentence just two days after his arrest.
On the evening of the 14th, US President Trump told the media that he was informed that the Iranian authorities were decreasing their killings of protesters.
He said, “The killings inside Iran have stopped, are being pacified, and there are no plans or preparations to execute people. As far as I know, these sources of information are reliable.”
When asked about the sources of the information, Trump said it came from “very important sources,” and that the US would confirm the accuracy of this information.
However, President Trump did not rule out the possibility of the US taking military action, stating, “We will monitor the situation, but we have received very positive reports from individuals who have a very good understanding of the local situation.” He also mentioned that the US had received “very good messages” from Iran.
The Washington Post cited a foreign diplomat stationed in Iran who stated that the overall wave of protests had been subdued, and that “at first glance, everything seems to have returned to square one, but there are security forces everywhere in the city.”
Due to Iran’s threats to attack US bases in the Middle East, the US partially withdrew personnel. The Wall Street Journal reported that on the 15th, a US military officer disclosed that the Pentagon was preparing for troops to return to the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. Another US official mentioned that long-range bombers within the US were already on alert status, but by the afternoon of the 14th, the alert seemed to have been temporarily lifted.
(This article referenced reports from Reuters, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post)