President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Thursday that Iran had cancelled more than 800 executions that were scheduled to take place.
He wrote: “I greatly respect the fact that all scheduled hangings, which were to take place yesterday (over 800 of them), have been cancelled by the leadership of Iran. Thank you!”
According to local media, Iranian cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami said on Friday that protesters in Tehran should face execution.
President Donald Trump has consistently voiced support for demonstrators and criticised Iranian authorities over their response to the unrest, which began on 28 December in Tehran following the sharp depreciation of the rial and worsening economic conditions. Protests have since spread to multiple cities.
Trump had previously indicated that military action remained a possible option but said the likelihood of a strike decreased after learning that planned executions of protesters had been cancelled. Later on Friday, he told reporters that the decision not to launch a strike was entirely his own. “Nobody convinced me. I convinced myself,” he said when asked if Arab or Israeli leaders influenced him. He added: “You had, yesterday, scheduled over 800 hangings. They didn’t hang anyone. They cancelled the hangings. That had a big impact.”
The unrest reflects deepening economic and social grievances, including high inflation and declining living standards. Demonstrators have called for political reform and greater freedoms, while security forces have employed harsh measures, including lethal force and mass detentions.
Although the suspension of executions offers a temporary reprieve, broader political tensions remain, leaving Iran’s future uncertain.
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Azerbaijan and Serbia have formally launched a Strategic Partnership Council, marking a new phase in bilateral relations and placing cooperation under direct presidential oversight.
U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said China has the power to bring an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, arguing that Beijing is enabling Moscow’s military campaign.
Austria’s Janine Flock won the gold medal in the women’s skeleton event at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Saturday.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani said the United States could evaluate its own interests separately from those of Israel in ongoing negotiations between Tehran and Washington.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday (15 February) called it “troubling” a report by five European allies blaming Russia for killing late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny using a toxin from poison dart frogs.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Russia’s decision to change the leadership of its delegation for upcoming peace talks in Geneva appeared to be an attempt to delay progress.
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A man accused of carrying out Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in nearly three decades appeared briefly in a Sydney court on Monday (16 February), facing terrorism and murder charges over the 14 December attack on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach that left 15 people dead.
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The United States has carried out its first air transport of a nuclear microreactor on a cargo plane, flying the unit from California to Utah in a demonstration designed to show the technology can be rapidly deployed for military and civilian use.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 16th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
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