15 Jan 2026 - 07:32
The Kabul Tribune (KT) - Iran’s foreign minister said on Wednesday there were no plans to execute people amid ongoing anti-government protests, as the United States warned it could respond strongly if protesters were put to death.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told Fox News that executions were “out of the question” when asked about reports of possible hangings linked to the government’s crackdown on protests.
“There is no plan for hanging at all,” Araqchi said.
His comments came after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would take “very strong action” if Iran began executing protesters. Trump later said he had been told that killings linked to the crackdown were subsiding and that there was currently no plan for large-scale executions.
Rights groups dispute Iran’s assurances. The Norway-based Iran Human Rights organization says hangings are common in Iranian prisons. Meanwhile, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said it has verified the deaths of 2,403 protesters and 147 government-affiliated individuals, with more than 18,000 arrests so far.
The protests, described as the largest in years, began over severe economic hardship but have evolved into calls for the fall of Iran’s clerical leadership, posing one of the most serious challenges to the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution.
Iran’s government has blamed foreign sanctions for the country’s economic problems and accused its enemies of interfering in its internal affairs.
Tensions between Tehran and Washington remain high following last year’s brief war between Iran and U.S. ally Israel and U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June.
