Closing Summary
As dawn breaks in Tehran and night falls in Washington, this phase of live coverage comes to a close, with developments suggesting a fragile easing of tensions around Iran’s protest crackdown.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he has been assured that the killing of Iranian protesters has stopped and that planned executions will not go ahead. Speaking at the White House, Trump said “very important sources on the other side” had conveyed the message, adding that Washington would now “watch it and see” when asked whether threatened U.S. military action was off the table. He stressed that the claims had yet to be independently verified.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, echoed that message in comments to Fox News, insisting executions were not taking place. “Hanging is out of the question,” he said, adding he was confident there was no plan to carry out death sentences.
In a concrete sign of that shift, the family of Erfan Soltani – the first protester sentenced to death since the unrest began – has been informed that his execution has been postponed.
Diplomatic activity is intensifying. The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to meet on Thursday afternoon for a briefing on the situation in Iran, at the request of the United States, according to the Somali presidency.
Trump also weighed in on Iran’s opposition figures, describing Reza Pahlavi as “very nice” but questioning whether he could command enough support inside Iran to lead the country. “I don’t know how he’d play within his own country,” Trump said, adding that the situation had not reached that point yet.
Meanwhile, Iran reopened its airspace after a nearly five-hour closure that disrupted regional flights, forcing cancellations and rerouting by multiple airlines. The shutdown had heightened fears of escalation, prompting precautionary evacuations of some U.S. and UK personnel from Middle East sites and the temporary closure of the British embassy in Tehran.
Several European countries, including Spain, Italy and Poland, advised their citizens to leave Iran, following a similar warning from Washington that suggested overland routes via Turkey or Armenia.
Despite the turmoil, Araghchi insisted the situation was “under control” and urged the United States to pursue diplomacy, warning that further escalation would be “catastrophic for everyone.”
Human rights groups paint a far bleaker picture. According to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, at least 2,571 people have been killed and more than 18,100 arrested during the crackdown so far. G7 foreign ministers said they are prepared to impose additional restrictive measures on Iran over what they described as the deliberate use of violence, arbitrary detention and intimidation.
Markets reacted quickly to Trump’s remarks. Oil prices fell sharply, with Brent and WTI dropping around 3% as fears of immediate disruption eased. Gold and silver also dipped, while Asian equity markets showed mixed performance.
Conclusion
While signals from both Washington and Tehran point to a possible pause in the most extreme measures, the situation remains highly volatile. Diplomatic efforts at the United Nations, continued international pressure, and uncertainty over Iran’s internal trajectory suggest that any calm may be temporary. The coming days will be critical in determining whether restraint holds – or whether the crisis slides back toward confrontation.
