Donald Trump, and (R) remains of the vehicles burnt during an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran.
Credit: Reuters Photos
The United States has said Iran halted execution of 800 protesters under pressure from President Donald Trump, after Gulf allies appeared to pull him back from military action over the Islamic Republic's deadly crackdown on demonstrations.
Iran was rocked last week by some of the biggest anti-government protests the country has seen, although the demonstrations appear to have diminished over the last few days in the face of repression and a weeklong internet blackout.
While the United States has stepped back from military action, the White House said on Thursday that "all options remain on the table for the President".
"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 on Thursday.
She said Trump had warned Tehran of "grave consequences" if the killing of demonstrators continued.
The Treasury also announced new sanctions targeting Iranian officials on Thursday, with Tehran already under severe restrictions over its nuclear programme that contributed to the economic woes that sparked protests.
The Norway-based Iran Human Rights NGO said on Wednesday that Iranian security forces had killed at least 3,428 protesters, warning that the final toll would be far higher.
Trump had said Wednesday he had received assurances from "very important sources on the other side" that executions would not go ahead, as Gulf allies scrambled to pull him back from military action.
Meanwhile, in telephone talks on Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan that Iran would defend itself "against any foreign threat", according to a statement.
On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia informed Iran it would not allow its airspace or territory to be used to attack the country.
Until Wednesday, the United States was threatening military action against Iran should it carry out the death penalty against people arrested over the protests.
Attention had focused on protester Erfan Soltani, 26, in prison in Karaj outside Tehran since his arrest, and who rights groups said was due to be executed on Wednesday.
On Thursday, the Iranian judiciary said Soltani has "not been sentenced to death" and was facing charges of propaganda against Iran's Islamic system.
If he is convicted, "the punishment, according to the law, will be imprisonment".