WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has said that he had been told the killings of protesters in Iran had been halted, but added that he would “watch it and see” about threatened military action.
Trump had repeatedly talked in recent days about coming to the aid of the Iranian people over the crackdown on protests.
But in a surprise announcement at the White House, Trump said he had now received assurances from “very important sources on the other side” that Tehran had now stopped, and that executions would not go ahead.
“They’ve said the killing has stopped and the executions won’t take place — there were supposed to be a lot of executions today and that the executions won’t take place — and we’re going to find out,” Trump said.
He offered no details and noted that the United States had yet to verify the claims.
Asked by an AFP reporter in the Oval Office if US military action was now off the table, Trump replied: “We’re going to watch it and see what the process is.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later said there would be “no hanging today or tomorrow”, in an interview with US network Fox News.
“I can tell you, I’m confident that there is no plan for hanging,” Araghchi said, also accusing Israel of orchestrating violence.
‘Full control’
But Araghchi said the Iranian government was “in full control” and reported an atmosphere of “calm” after what he called three days of “terrorist operation”.
Iran also struck a defiant tone about responding to any US attack, as Washington appeared to draw down staff at a base in Qatar that Tehran targeted in a strike last year.
Iran targeted the Al Udeid base in June in retaliation for US strikes on its nuclear facilities. Ali Shamkhani, a senior advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned Trump that the strike showed “Iran’s will and capability to respond to any attack”. Fears of possible US military action continued to rile the region.
The British government said its embassy in Tehran had been “temporarily closed”, while the US embassy in Saudi Arabia urged staff to exercise caution and avoid military installations.
Trump has threatened to intervene militarily in Iran several times since the protest movement that has shaken the country began in late December.
Iran’s judiciary chief vowed fast-track trials for those arrested, stoking fears authorities will use capital punishment as a tool of repression.
In Tehran, authorities held a funeral for more than 100 security personnel and other “martyrs” killed in the unrest, which officials have branded “acts of terror”.
Iran reopens airspace
Iran reopened its airspace after a near-five-hour closure amid concerns about possible military action between the US and Iran that forced airlines to cancel, reroute or delay some flights.
Iran closed its airspace to all flights except international ones to and from Iran with official permission at 22:15 GMT (3:15am PKT) on Wednesday, according to a notice on the US Federal Aviation Administration website.
The notice was removed shortly before 03:00 GMT (8am PKT), according to tracking service Flightradar24, which showed five flights from Iranian carriers Mahan Air, Yazd Airways and AVA Airlines were among the first to resume over the country.
At a similar time last week to the airspace closure there had been dozens of planes in the air over Iran, Flightradar24 said.
The United States was withdrawing some personnel from bases in the Middle East, a US official said on Wednesday, after a senior Iranian official said Tehran had warned neighbors it would hit American bases if Washington strikes.
Missile and drone barrages in a growing number of conflict zones represent a high risk to airline traffic.
Indian airlines among those affected
India’s largest airline, IndiGo said some of its international flights would be impacted by Iran’s sudden airspace closure. Air India said its flights were using alternative routes that could result in delays or cancellations.
A flight by Russia’s Aeroflot bound for Tehran returned to Moscow after the closure, according to Flightradar24 data.
Earlier on Wednesday, Germany issued a new directive cautioning the country’s airlines from entering Iranian airspace, shortly after Lufthansa rejigged its flight operations across the Middle East amid escalating tensions in the region.
The United States already prohibits all US commercial flights from overflying Iran and there are no direct flights between the countries.
Empty airspace over Iran, during a temporary closure of the country’s airspace amid concerns about possible military action between the United States and Iran, in this screengrab obtained from the internet on January 14, 2026. — FlightRadar/Reuters
Airline operators like flydubai and Turkish Airlines have canceled multiple flights to Iran in the past week.
“Several airlines have already reduced or suspended services, and most carriers are avoiding Iranian airspace,” said Safe Airspace, a website run by OPSGROUP, a membership-based organisation that shares flight risk information. “The situation may signal further security or military activity, including the risk of missile launches or heightened air defence, increasing the risk of misidentification of civil traffic.”
A Ukraine International Airlines jet was downed by Iran’s military in 2020, killing all 176 passengers and crew.
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