Trump Claims Iran Has Halted Killings and Executions of Protesters

Washington, January 15, 2026 — US President Donald Trump has claimed that Iran has stopped killing protesters and suspended plans to carry out death sentences against detained demonstrators following warnings from the United States.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Wednesday, Trump said the Iranian authorities had halted executions and lethal actions against protesters. “We have learned that the killing of protesters in Iran has stopped, and that plans to execute detained individuals have been put on hold,” he said, adding that the information had been confirmed by what he described as “reliable authorities.”
A day earlier, Trump had urged Iranian protesters to continue their demonstrations in a post on his social media platform Truth Social. In the post, he called on the public to take control of Iran’s national institutions and accused Iranian security forces of indiscriminate firing to suppress protests.
“As long as these senseless killings continue, I will not meet with any Iranian officials,” Trump wrote, adding that support for Iranian protesters was “on the way” and using the slogan “Make Iran Great Again.”
Later on Tuesday, in an interview with US broadcaster CBS, Trump said the US administration had not yet received reliable data on the total number of people killed since the protests began, but acknowledged that the death toll was believed to be significantly high.
Iran has not officially confirmed Trump’s claims, and independent verification of the situation on the ground remains limited amid restrictions on information flow from the country.