White House: Iran Halts 800 Execution Plans Amid Bloody Protests

JAKARTA - The White House said Iranian authorities have halted 800 scheduled executions amid weeks of protests. Washington is closely monitoring the situation.

"The President is aware that today 800 executions that were scheduled and should have been carried out yesterday have been stopped," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, quoted by ANTARA from Anadolu, Friday, January 16.

Leavitt said the administration of US President Donald Trump continues to assess developments related to Iran and hinted that further steps may still be taken.

"The president and his team are monitoring this situation very closely and all options remain open to the president," Leavitt said.

Trump has repeatedly promised to support protesters in Iran, where crackdowns by Iranian authorities have reportedly left thousands dead.

This week, he said Washington would take "very strong action" if Iran carried out executions of the protesters.

Meanwhile, Iranian officials accused the United States and Israel of supporting "riots" and "terrorism" in the protests.

Iranian authorities have not released official figures on the number of deaths or the number of detainees. However, the US-based human rights group, Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), estimates that more than 2,600 people have been killed, including protesters and security personnel.