Iran's top prosecutor on Friday denied a claim by US President Donald Trump that his intervention halted the execution of 800 people detained in nationwide protests, calling his comments "completely false."
The news agency of Iran's judiciary, Mizan, quoted Mohammad Movahedi as making the comment. It again calls into question whether there will be mass executions over the nationwide protests. Officials have already said some detainees face death penalty charges.
"Completely false numbers"
“This claim is completely false; no such number exists, nor has the judiciary made any such decision,” Movahedi said, according to Mizan. Trump has said that mass executions and the killing of peaceful protesters are both red lines for a possible US military strike on Iran.
Death toll in Iran climbs to over 5,000
The toll in Iran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests has reached at least 5,002 people killed, activists said on Friday, warning many more were feared dead as the most comprehensive internet blackout in the country’s history crossed the two-week mark.
The challenge in getting information out of Iran persists because of authorities cutting off access to the internet on January 8, even as tensions rise between the United States and Iran as an American aircraft carrier group moves closer to the Middle East. Trump likened the carrier group to an “armada” in comments to journalists late Thursday.
Analysts say a military buildup could give Trump the option to carry out strikes, though so far he’s avoided that despite repeated warnings to Tehran. Meanwhile, Iran’s top prosecutor denied a claim by Trump that his intervention so far had halted the execution of 800 prisoners detained in the demonstrations, calling his comments “completely false.”
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“While President Trump now appears to have backtracked, likely under pressure from regional leaders and cognizant that airstrikes alone would be insufficient to implode the regime, military assets continue to be moved into the region, indicating kinetic action may still happen,” a New York-based think tank called the Soufan Centre said in an analysis Friday.
(Note: Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by The Daily Jagran and has been published through a syndicated feed. Source - PTI)