Iran Tensions Ease as Trump Adopts a Wait-and-See Approach

U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed signs of restraint from Iran on Thursday, writing on social media that an Iranian protester would no longer face execution, calling the development “good news” and saying that “hopefully it will continue!”

Trump’s post came as Iranian state media reported that a 26-year-old man arrested during recent protests in the city of Karaj would not be sentenced to death. The report followed a statement from Iran’s foreign minister that Tehran had “no plan” to hang people amid the unrest. Iranian outlets said the charges against the man, Erfan Soltani, involved colluding against “internal security and propaganda activities against the regime,” offenses that do not carry the death penalty under Iranian law.

The developments appeared to align with comments Trump made the previous night at the White House, where he said he had been told that killings in Iran’s crackdown were subsiding and that there was no current plan for large-scale executions. Asked who had provided the information, Trump said they were “very important sources on the other side.” He stopped short of ruling out U.S. military action, saying his administration would “watch what the process is,” but added that Washington had received a “very good statement” from Iran.

Iranian officials have sought to portray the moment as a diplomatic pause. Al Jazeera cited an Iranian official saying Trump had informed Tehran he did not intend to attack and had urged restraint. Iranian officials claim the message was delivered around 5 p.m. Israel time on Wednesday, hours before Trump spoke publicly to reporters later that evening.

A senior Saudi official later told AFP that Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman mounted a last-minute diplomatic push to persuade Trump to give Iran more time, warning that an attack on Tehran would trigger “grave blowbacks in the region.” The official said contacts were still underway to build on what he described as a more positive atmosphere. An Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson separately said that communication channels between Tehran and Washington remain open.

Signs of easing were also seen on the U.S. military front. Reuters reported that security alert levels had been lowered at the U.S. military’s Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, with aircraft and personnel that were relocated yesterday gradually returning. The move followed Iranian warnings that it would strike U.S. bases in the region if Washington launched an attack.

At the same time, indicators suggested the situation was far from normal. European and Asian airlines continued to avoid Iranian and Iraqi airspace on Thursday despite Iran reopening its skies after a brief closure. Lufthansa, British Airways, Wizz Air, Singapore Airlines and TUI rerouted flights over Central Asia and Afghanistan, according to flight-tracking data.