Trump says he has it on 'good authority' that executions have stopped in Iran | LIVE

That concludes our live coverage of events for today. Thanks for joining us. We'll be back tomorrow morning with more updates and analysis as the news unfolds. Goodnight.

Trump says his administration will "watch and see" what happens with Iran next

According to Al Jazeera, when Trump was asked if his statement claiming that Iran has stopped killing protesters meant that the military actions the U.S. was threatening Tehran with were now off the table, he responded saying Washington was going to “watch and see what the process is but we’re going to give a very good statement by people that are aware of what’s going on.”

UK closes Tehran embassy temporarily

The British embassy in Tehran has been temporarily closed, the UK government announced in a statement cited by Reuters.

"We have temporarily closed the British Embassy in Tehran, this will now operate remotely," a government spokesperson said. "Foreign Office travel advice has now been updated to reflect this consular change."

Britain's ambassador and all consular staff were evacuated based on a security assessment and a decision to prioritize staff safety, another British official said.

The move comes as Iran's leadership tries to quell the worst domestic unrest the Islamic Republic has ever faced, and with U.S. President Donald Trump threatening to intervene.

Britain and the United States withdrew some personnel from bases in the Middle East after a senior Iranian official said Tehran had warned neighbors it would hit American bases if Washington strikes.

Majority of US voters oppose Iran strikes, polls find

Two new polls released today show that most voters do not want the U.S. to take military action against Iran and think President Donald Trump is overstepping abroad, Politico reports.

A Quinnipiac University poll of registered voters found that 70 percent oppose U.S. military involvement in Iran, even if protesters there are killed while demonstrating against the Iranian government, compared to 18 percent who support military action.

Opposition was mostly along party lines, with 79 percent of Democrats and 80 percent of independents opposing military involvement. Republicans were more supportive, with a majority — 53 percent — saying the U.S. should not get involved.

Trump says he was told 'on good authority' that executions in Iran are 'stopping'

U.S. President Donald Trump said that he had been told that "executions" had stopped in Iran, amid reports by rights groups that Iranian authorities were brutally suppressing protests against the government.

During an event at the White House, Trump said he had been told on "good authority" that the "killing in Iran is stopping. It's stopped...and there's no plan for executions," without providing further details.

"A lot of people were talking about, for the last couple of days, today was going to be the day of execution," Trump said.

He added, however, "if it happens, we'll all be very upset." Trump has threatened to attack Iran if its government killed protestors, however his statements came as the death toll steadily mounted. More than 3,000 people have already been killed, as per human rights organizations' latest estimates.

Sky News reported that it had learned within the last hour that Erfan Soltani, the 26-year-old arrested during protests, who was believed to be the first person to face execution since the crackdown, was not executed today.

Soltani is one of more than 18,000 people believed to have been arrested by the Iranian regime since the protests erupted on Dec. 28.

G7 ready to impose new measures on Iran if crackdown continues

The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven countries said they were prepared to impose additional restrictive measures on Iran if it continues to crack down on protests and dissent in violation of international rights obligations, Reuters reports.

"We are deeply alarmed at the high level of reported deaths and injuries," the G7 said. "We condemn the deliberate use of violence and the killing of protesters, arbitrary detention, and intimidation tactics by security forces against demonstrators," the statement said.

They urged Iranian authorities to exercise full restraint, to refrain from violence, and to uphold the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Iran’s citizens.

Officials believe U.S. attack on Iran could come in the next 24 hours

"All the signals are that a U.S. attack is imminent, but that is also how this administration behaves to keep everyone on their toes. Unpredictability is part of the strategy," a Western military official told Reuters.

Two European officials said U.S. military intervention could come in the next 24 hours. An Israeli official also said it appeared Trump had decided to intervene, though the scope and timing remained unclear.

Qatar said drawdowns from its Al Udeid air base, the biggest U.S. base in the Middle East, were "being undertaken in response to the current regional tensions."

Iran ready to respond 'decisively' to Israel, US: Revolutionary Guards chief

Iran is ready to respond "decisively" to its foes Israel and the United States, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says, as cited by AFP, accusing their leaders of being behind protests that swept the Islamic republic.

The Guards are at "the height of readiness to respond decisively to the miscalculation of the enemy," said IRGC Commander Mohammad Pakpour in a written statement quoted by state television, accusing U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being the "murderers of the youth of Iran."

At least 3,428 killed in Iran crackdown on protesters: rights group

Iranian security forces have killed at least 3,428 protesters in a crackdown on demonstrations, the Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) NGO has announced, cited by AFP, adding that more than 10,000 people had also been arrested.

IHR said the jump in its verified toll was due to new information it received from within the Iranian health and education ministries, with at least 3,379 of the killings coming during the height of the protest movement from Jan. 8 to 12.

The group's director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam condemned the "mass killing of protesters on the streets in recent days," while IHR warned that even the new figure represented an "absolute minimum" for the actual toll.

Diplomats sought guarantees from Hezbollah that it will hold fire if Iran is attacked, source says

Diplomats have sought guarantees from Hezbollah that it would not take military action if the United States or Israel carried out on an attack on Iran, a Lebanese source familiar with the group's thinking told Reuters.

The source said the party was approached through diplomatic channels last week. Hezbollah did not offer explicit guarantees but has no plans to act if the strike on Iran is not "existential" for Iran's leadership, the source added.

Araghchi uses Israeli correspondent's comment to say Israel is gloating about having armed protestors in Iran

After a correspondent from Israel's Channel 14, Tamir Morag, reported yesterday that foreign actors are arming the protesters in Iran with live firearms, Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi said that "Israel is explicitly gloating about having armed protestors."

"Foreign actors are arming the protesters in Iran with live firearms, which is the reason for the hundreds of regime personnel killed. Everyone is free to guess who is behind it," reads Morag's post on X.

Responding to this post, Araghchi wrote on X today: "Israel has always sought to drag the U.S. into fighting wars on its behalf. But remarkably, this time they are saying the quiet part out loud ... President Trump should now know exactly where to go to stop killings."

Less than an hour after Araghchi's comment, Morag addressed the Iranian foreign minister saying: "Moments before the end of your term, remember that it is not only the Israelis who hate you, but almost everyone: the Kurds, the Balochis, the Ahwazis, the Azeris — they all want to see you gone and to arm the very people you are massacring."

Saudi Arabia tells Iran its land, airspace won't be used in strike

Saudi Arabia informed Iran it will not allow its airspace or territory to be used to attack it, two sources close to the kingdom's government told AFP, as Washington threatens Tehran with possible military strikes.

The message was conveyed as the United States warned it could respond to an Iranian government crackdown on protests, while Tehran has said it would strike U.S. military and shipping assets in the event of a new attack.

"Saudi Arabia has informed Tehran directly that it will not be part of any military action taken against it, and that its territory and airspace will not be used for that purpose," a source close to the Saudi military told AFP.

A second source close to the government confirmed that message had been communicated to Tehran.

The U.S. has military assets in the Gulf, including in Saudi Arabia.

Israeli and Arab officials told Trump administration to wait on Iran strikes: NBC

According to a report published by NBC News overnight, Israeli and Arab officials told the Trump administration in recent days that they believe the Iranian regime may not yet be weakened to the point where U.S. military strikes would be the decisive blow that topples it.

Citing a U.S. official, a former U.S. official briefed on the discussions, a person familiar with the Israeli leadership’s thinking and two Arab officials, NBC reports that officials from the region suggested Trump hold back on large-scale strikes for now and wait until the regime is even more strained.

The conversations reportedly involved American political and military leaders and were underscored by Israeli and Arab officials' belief that the Iranian regime's stability could change quickly in either direction.

Qatar confirms measures of departure of personnel from the American Al Ubeid base

Qatar announced that the measures of departure of personnel from the American Al Ubeid base come in response to current region tensions, according to Reuters.

The country added that it continues to implement all necessary measures to safeguard security and safety of its citizens and residents.

Earlier today, some personnel were advised to leave the U.S. military's Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar by this evening.

Al Udeid is the Middle East's largest U.S. base, housing around 10,000 troops. Ahead of the U.S. air strikes on Iran in June, some personnel were moved off U.S. bases in the Middle East.

US withdrawing troops from key Middle East bases as precaution, official says

The United States is withdrawing personnel from key bases in the region as a precaution given heightened regional tensions, a U.S. official told Reuters on Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The disclosure follows remarks by a senior Iranian official who told Reuters earlier on Wednesday that Tehran had warned neighbors hosting U.S. troops that it would hit American bases if Washington strikes.

Iran reiterates military is at ‘peak defensive readiness’ amid escalation fears

Iran’s military is at the “peak of its defensive readiness” and prepared to “confront any aggression,” said Sardar Mousavi, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ air force, according to Iran’s Fars news agency.

Mousavi said the regime’s missile reserves have increased since the 12-day war with Israel in June and that all damage sustained during the conflict has been repaired, keeping the armed forces on maximum alert.

Similar remarks were made a day earlier by other Iranian officials, including IRGC aerospace forces commander Ali Hajizadeh and Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, who warned that U.S. bases in the region could face retaliation in the event of an escalation initiated by Washington.

Iran used UK crypto exchanges to move $1bne and evade sanctions

Iranian security forces have reportedly used two cryptocurrency exchanges registered in the UK to move around $1 billion since 2023, bypassing international economic sanctions, according to a new analysis by crypto investigations firm TRM Labs, relayed by the Washington Post.

The exchanges provided the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) with a way to transfer large sums across borders, using a method disguised as routine crypto-sector activity.

TRM Labs said the operation shows a new level of sophistication by the IRGC in leveraging cryptocurrency for sanctions evasion.

Iranian authorities call for seizure of protesters’ assets

Iran’s Attorney General, Mohammad Movahed Azad, has called for the identification and seizure of protesters’ properties to “teach them a lesson,” state television reported.

According to Iran International, the Qom court has already announced the seizure of assets and bank accounts belonging to a café owner in the region, who was arrested on January 13 on suspicion of supporting the protests.

Tehran holds funeral for security forces killed in protests

A funeral ceremony began in Tehran on Wednesday for over 100 members of the security forces and other “martyrs” killed during the wave of protests, state television reported.

Thousands attended the ceremony outside Tehran University, waving flags of the Islamic Republic as prayers were read for the dead, according to broadcast images.

Rights groups say the crackdown on protesters has likely left thousands dead. Iranian authorities, however, blame “rioters,” claiming they killed dozens of security personnel and innocent bystanders described as “martyrs.”

Iran denounces new US sanctions as ‘inhumane’

Iran has condemned new U.S. sanctions as “inhumane,” accusing Washington of acting illegally and out of “deep-rooted hatred” toward the country, Al Jazeera reports.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said the measures violate the U.N. Charter and international law. Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei warned the impact would extend beyond Iran, arguing that unilateral US sanctions undermine the global trading system.

He added that the U.N. and its institutions have a responsibility to prevent what he described as coercive economic measures.

U.S. President Donald Trump has said countries trading with Iran would face a 25 percent tariff on any business conducted with the United States.

Some personnel were advised to leave US military base in Qatar

Some personnel were advised to leave the U.S. military's Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar by Wednesday evening, three diplomats told Reuters.

The U.S. embassy in Doha had no immediate comment.

Al Udeid is the Middle East's largest U.S. base, housing around 10,000 troops. Ahead of the U.S. air strikes on Iran in June, some personnel were moved off U.S. bases in the Middle East.

In images: Bodies of Iranian protesters lie on the ground in a medical center

Photo taken from a video captured on Jan. 14, based on UGC images posted the day before on social media. (Credit: AFP)

Dozens of bodies of Iranian protesters lie on the floor of the Tehran Province Forensic and Diagnostic Center in Kahrizak, while grieving relatives search for their loved ones.

Other videos showing similar scenes first appeared online on Jan. 10. Between 700 and 2,500 Iranians have been killed by the regime's crackdown since the protests began on Dec. 28, according to various estimates published by international NGOs.

Direct communications between Iran's Aragchi and US Envoy Witkoff suspended

Direct communications between Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi and U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff have been suspended, a senior Iranian official told Reuters.

The senior official added that U.S. threats undermine diplomatic efforts and that potential meetings between the two officials to find a diplomatic solution to a decades-long nuclear dispute have been cancelled.

Iran vows fast trials over protests after Trump threat

Iran on Wednesday vowed fast-track trials for people arrested over a massive wave of protests, after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened "very strong action" if the Islamic Republic goes ahead with hangings.

International outrage has built over a crackdown on the demonstrations, which a rights group said has likely killed thousands in one of the biggest challenges yet to Iran's clerical leadership.

Iranian authorities have insisted they have regained control of the country after successive nights of mass protests, repeatedly accusing the demonstrators of carrying out "acts of terror" of the kind committed by the Islamic State.

Judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said on a visit to a prison holding protest detainees that "if a person burned someone, beheaded someone and set them on fire, then we must do our work quickly," in comments broadcast by state television.

Israeli destruction of Gaza turns storm deadly

At least nine people have died in Gaza in the last 48 hours, including a one-year-old baby who froze to death and four people killed when a building collapsed.

The devastating effects of the new winter storm that hit the Gaza Strip have left at least five people dead since yesterday, according to health authorities in the enclave, which remains under Israeli blockade despite the truce.

Strong winds caused the walls of a building to collapse onto tents housing displaced Palestinians, killing at least four people, “two women, a girl and a man from the Hamouda family,” according to local journalists and sources at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, quoted by Al Jazeera.

In addition, a one-year-old baby died of hypothermia, according to the local health ministry, which said that at least seven people have died from the cold since the beginning of winter, while almost the entire population is surviving in tents or partially destroyed homes, without adequate protection from the low temperatures.

The ministry also said on Tuesday that it had received the bodies of five people killed and six others wounded by Israeli army gunfire or strikes.

This brings the number of Palestinians killed since the cease-fire began on Oct. 10 to at least 447, according to the ministry. More than 100 children and adolescents are among those killed by “military means” despite the truce, said the spokesperson for the United Nations Children's Fund.

Gaza cease-fire agreement set to enter second phase today, Washington to announce

Washington is expected to announce later today the transition to the second phase of the cease-fire agreement in Gaza, according to Axios.

“The White House is expected to announce the creation of the Gaza Board of Peace and the establishment of a Palestinian technocratic government that will govern the Gaza Strip,” journalist Barak Ravid said.

He added that “the Trump administration will also officially announce the appointment of former U.N. envoy Nikolay Mladenov as the Peace Council’s representative in the Gaza Strip.”

Since the first phase of the agreement took effect on Oct. 10, at least 447 Palestinians have been killed and 1,246 others wounded by Israeli attacks, according to the latest toll released by Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The second phase of the agreement, sponsored by Trump, is notably marked by the start of the disarmament of Hamas and other Palestinian armed factions, as well as the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip.

Trump threatens 'very strong action' if Iran executes protesters

U.S. President Donald Trump warned of unspecified "very strong action" if Iranian authorities go ahead with threatened hangings of some protesters.

According to U.S. diplomacy, a first execution could take place as early as Wednesday. The U.S. State Department on its Farsi language X account said 26-year-old protestor Erfan Soltani had been sentenced to be executed on Wednesday.

"Erfan is the first protester to be sentenced to death, but he won't be the last," the State Department said, adding more than 10,600 Iranians had been arrested.

Tehran prosecutors have said Iranian authorities would press capital charges of "moharebeh," or "waging war against God," against some suspects arrested over recent demonstrations.

"When they start killing thousands of people, and now you're telling me about hanging. We'll see how that's going to work out for them," Trump said.

Internet blackout enters seventh day in Iran; Starlink now offering free service

Iran’s nationwide internet shutdown, imposed by the regime on Jan. 8, has now lasted nearly a week, according to the cybersecurity monitoring group NetBlocks.

“As the internet outage now reaches its 132nd hour, initial reports indicate thousands of casualties. The true scale of the killings is being obscured by the lack of connectivity,” NetBlocks wrote Wednesday morning on X.

While some Iranians have managed to make international phone calls, activists said Wednesday that Starlink — the satellite internet service owned by U.S. billionaire Elon Musk — is now offering free service in Iran.

Mehdi Yahyanejad, a co-founder of NetFreedom Pioneers, a U.S.-based tech nonprofit, told The New York Times that a person he works with in Iran had also connected to the internet using Starlink for free on Tuesday. The person tested the free access by turning on an unused Starlink device, he said.

Bloomberg reported earlier that mother company SpaceX was offering free Starlink service in Iran.

Starlink has not yet confirmed the decision. Several witnesses reported that Iranian security forces have been conducting raids in Tehran on buildings equipped with satellite dishes to track down equipment used to connect to Starlink.

Death toll from crackdown in Iran said to exceed 2,500, according to NGO

The number of people killed in the crackdown on the nationwide uprising that has shaken Iran for three weeks has reportedly surpassed 2,500, according to activists, as Iranians on Tuesday were able to make international phone calls for the first time in days despite the internet shutdown.

At least 2,571 people have been killed over the past three weeks, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.

The figure appears to far exceed the toll from previous waves of protests against the Islamic Republic over decades. By comparison, the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement that followed the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022 left at least 537 people dead, according to estimates.

Iranian state television, for its part, officially acknowledged the deaths for the first time, quoting an official who said the country had suffered “many martyrs.”

Funerals planned in Tehran for security forces killed in protests

Iranian authorities announced that a large funeral ceremony would be held later Wednesday in Tehran in honor of security force members killed in recent days, whose number exceeds 100 according to state media. The authorities accused “foreign elements” of orchestrating the attacks on police.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency said the funerals would take place at Tehran University and would be the first in a series of nationwide tributes planned in the coming days.

State media — only a few of which remain on air due to the internet shutdown — have been broadcasting repeated images of damage caused during clashes with protesters.

Security forces were reported to be “less visible at major intersections in Tehran,” according to witnesses cited by AFP.

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