Us-iran Tensions

Trump thanks Iran for cancelling executions of political prisoners

President Donald Trump took the unusual step on Friday of thanking the Iranian government for not following through on executions of what he said was meant to be hundreds of political prisoners. Iran cancelled the hanging of over 800 people, Trump told reporters while leaving the White House to spend the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. He added and I greatly respect the fact that they cancelled. The Republican president also suggested on his social media site that more than 800 people had been set to be executed in Iran, but he said they now won't be. Thank you! Trump posted. Those sentiments come after Trump spent days suggesting that the US might strike Iran militarily if its government triggered mass killings during widespread protests that swept that country but now have quieted. The death toll from those demonstrations continues to rise, activists say. Still, Trump seemed to hint that the prospects for US military action were fading since Iran had he

Iran protests appear to fade as crackdown deepens, West weighs sanctions

The nationwide protests challenging Iran's theocracy appeared increasingly smothered Thursday, a week after authorities shut the country off from the world and escalated a bloody crackdown that activists say has killed at least 2,637 people. The prospect of US retaliation for the deaths of protesters still hung over the region, though President Donald Trump signalled a possible de-escalation, saying the killing appeared to be ending. Meanwhile, the US announced new sanctions on Iranian officials accused of suppressing the protests, which began late last month over the country's faltering economy and the collapse of its currency. The Group of Seven industrialised democracies and the European Union said they too were looking at new sanctions to ratchet up the pressure on Iran's theocratic government. The UN Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting on Iran for Thursday afternoon at the request of the United States. In Iran's capital, Tehran, witnesses said recent mornings show

US renews threats against Iran at UN despite Trump's de-escalation signals

After weeks of escalating tension, US and Iranian officials faced each other Thursday at the UN Security Council, where America's envoy renewed threats against the Islamic Republic despite President Donald Trump's efforts to lower the temperature between the two adversaries. The US was joined by Iranian dissidents in rebuking the government's bloody crackdown on nationwide protests that activists say has killed at least 2,637 people. Colleagues, let me be clear: President Trump is a man of action, not endless talk like we see at the United Nations, Mike Waltz, US ambassador to the UN, said in a statement. He has made it clear that all options are on the table to stop the slaughter. And no one should know that better than the leadership of the Iranian regime. Waltz's remarks came as the prospect of US retaliation for the protesters' deaths still hung over the region, though Trump signaled a possible de-escalation, saying the killing appeared to be ending. By Thursday, the protests ..

Exiled Iranian prince seeks Trump backing, not public support: Experts

No pursuit of nuclear weapons. Confronting drug trafficking. An immediate recognition of the state of Israel. Exporting copious amounts of oil and gas. Exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi laid out his aspirations Thursday for Iran if its theocracy is toppled and experts say they sound exactly like what US President Donald Trump wants to hear. That plan likely is aimed at trying to secure support to lead Iran if the nationwide protests succeed in ousting the Islamic Republic. Activists describe a bloody crackdown by security forces that has killed 2,637 people and broadly smothered the demonstrations. But Trump has yet to fully embrace Pahlavi. He's really struggling to win Trump's approval, to give the impression he has that strong support, but it doesn't seem to be working, said Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute, a Washington think tank and author of several books on Iran. Many of his goals also dovetail with the wishes of hard-line Israeli Prime Minister

Exiled Iranian prince seeks Trump backing, not public support: Experts

No pursuit of nuclear weapons. Confronting drug trafficking. An immediate recognition of the state of Israel. Exporting copious amounts of oil and gas. Exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi laid out his aspirations Thursday for Iran if its theocracy is toppled and experts say they sound exactly like what US President Donald Trump wants to hear. That plan likely is aimed at trying to secure support to lead Iran if the nationwide protests succeed in ousting the Islamic Republic. Activists describe a bloody crackdown by security forces that has killed 2,637 people and broadly smothered the demonstrations. But Trump has yet to fully embrace Pahlavi. He's really struggling to win Trump's approval, to give the impression he has that strong support, but it doesn't seem to be working, said Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute, a Washington think tank and author of several books on Iran. Many of his goals also dovetail with the wishes of hard-line Israeli Prime Minister

Asian shares slide, oil sinks $2 after Trump says Iran stopped killings

Asian shares were mostly lower and US futures also fell Thursday after Wall Street retreated, dragged down by falls in Big Tech stocks. Oil prices fell more than $2 a barrel after US President Donald Trump said he was told on good authority that plans for executions in Iran have stopped, even as Tehran has signaled fast trials and executions ahead in its crackdown on protesters. US benchmark crude fell $2, or 3.3%, to $59.88 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, shed $2.12, or 3.2%, to $64.40 per barrel. In Asian trading, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 slipped 0.9% to 53,863.84, with technology-related stocks trading lower. SoftBank Group fell 5.6%, testing equipment maker Advantest fell 4.1% and chip maker Tokyo Electron fell 3.3%. Shares of machinery and equipment maker Toyota Industries rose 6% following reports that automaker Toyota Motor has raised its buyout offer for the company to 18,800 yen ($118.61) per share. Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped 0.6% to 26,850.78. Hong ...

Exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi outlines vision for a free, peaceful Iran

Earlier, US Senator Lindsey Graham on Wednesday (local time) met the exiled crown prince and reiterated Washington's support for the Iranian people against what he described as a "brutal regime"

Exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi outlines vision for a free, peaceful Iran

Earlier, US Senator Lindsey Graham on Wednesday (local time) met the exiled crown prince and reiterated Washington's support for the Iranian people against what he described as a "brutal regime"

'This time bullet will not miss': Iranian TV airs warning with Trump image

Iranian TV broadcast a Trump rally shooting image with a warning as US-Iran tensions rose over protests, military threats and reports of killings in Iran

Trump claims killings in Iran are stopping, executions not planned

Donald Trump claimed he has been assured that Iran will halt killings and not execute protesters, warning of 'very strong action' if hangings resume

US oil prices drop over $1 as Trump's comments reduce Iran supply fears

Trump said that he ‍had been told that killings in Iran's crackdown on ‍nationwide protests ‌were subsiding and ​he believed ‍there was currently no plan for ‍large-scale ‍executions

Iran temporarily shuts airspace amid tensions, forcing airlines to reroute

President Donald Trump has been weighing a response to the situation in Iran, which is seeing its biggest anti-government protests in years

Iran signals fast trials, executions; warns US, Israel against action

Iranian officials signaled on Wednesday that fast trials and executions lay ahead for suspects detained in nationwide protests, while the Islamic Republic promised retaliation if the US or Israel intervenes in the domestic unrest. The threats emerged as some personnel at a key US military base in Qatar were advised to evacuate, even as President Donald Trump made a series of vague statements in a span of 24 hours that left unclear what American action, if any, would take place against Iran. In comments to reporters, the Republican president said he had been told that plans for executions in Iran have stopped, without providing many details. The shift comes a day after Trump told protesters in Iran that help is on the way and that his administration would act accordingly to respond to the Islamic Republic's deadly crackdown. We've been told that the killing in Iran is stopping it's stopped it's stopping, Trump said at the White House while signing executive orders and legislation.

Iran signals fast trials, executions for protesters despite Trump warning

The head of Iran's judiciary signaled Wednesday there would be fast trials and executions ahead for those detained in nationwide protests despite a warning from U.S. President Donald Trump. The comments from Iran's judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei come as activists had warned hangings of those detained could come soon. Already, a bloody security force crackdown on the demonstrations has killed at least 2,571, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported. That figure dwarfs the death toll from any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution. Trump repeatedly has warned that the United States may take military action over the killing of peaceful protesters, just months after it bombed Iranian nuclear sites during a 12-day war launched by Israel against the Islamic Republic in June. Mohseni-Ejei made the comment in a video shared by Iranian state television online. If we want to do

'Unacceptable': Russia strongly criticises US threats to strike Iran

Russia's Foreign Ministry has said the US threats to strike Iran are categorically unacceptable. The ministry on Tuesday warned in a statement that any such strikes would have disastrous consequences for the situation in the Middle East and global security. It also criticised what it called brazen attempts to blackmail Iran's foreign partners by raising trade tariffs. The statement noted that the protests in Iran had been triggered by social and economic problems resulting from Western sanctions. It also denounced hostile external forces for trying to exploit the resulting growing social tension to destabilise and destroy the Iranian state and charged that specially trained and armed provocateurs acting on instructions from abroad sought to provoke violence. The ministry voiced hope that the situation in Iran will gradually stabilize and advised Russian citizens in the Islamic Republic not to visit crowded places.

Iran uses Russian tech to jam Starlink as protests grow under blackout

Iran has reportedly used Russian-made jammers to disrupt Starlink internet during protests, even as SpaceX waived fees to help people connect amid a nationwide internet blackout

Trump urges Iranians to escalate protests, hints at action as deaths mount

Iran has experienced weeks of mass unrest. While initially touched off by a currency crisis and worsening economic conditions, the protests have increasingly taken aim at the regime

Iran allows limited overseas calls as protest death toll nears 2,000

Iran eased some restrictions on its people and, for the first time in days, allowed them to make phone calls abroad via their mobile phones on Tuesday. It did not ease restrictions on the internet or permit texting services to be restored as the death toll from days of bloody protests against the state rose to at least 2,000 people, according to activists. Although Iranians were able to call abroad, people outside the country could not call them, several people in the capital told The Associated Press. The witnesses, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said SMS text messaging still was down and internet users inside Iran could not access anything abroad, although there were local connections to government-approved websites. It was unclear if restrictions would ease further after authorities cut off all communications inside the country and to the outside world late Thursday. Here is the latest: Iranian official calls Trump and Netanyahu 'real killers of peopl

'Shoot to kill': Accounts of brutal crackdown emerge amid Iran unrest

Eyewitnesses say government forces have begun opening fire, apparently with automatic weapons and at times seemingly indiscriminately, on unarmed protesters

Iran eases some curbs, allows calls abroad as protest death toll spikes

Iran eased some restrictions on its people and, for the first time in days, allowed them to make phone calls abroad via their mobile phones on Tuesday. It did not ease restrictions on the internet or allow texting services to be restored as the toll from days of bloody protests against the state rose to at least 646 people killed. Although Iranians were able to call abroad, people outside the country could not call them, several people in the capital told The Associated Press. The witnesses, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said SMS text messaging still was down and internet users inside Iran could not access anything abroad, although there were local connections to government-approved websites. It was unclear if restrictions would ease further after authorities cut off all communications inside the country and to the outside world late Thursday. Here is the latest. German Chancellor believes Iranian government is in its final days and ...