Iran signals plans for fast trials and executions despite Trump threat

Iranian officials have signalled that fast trials and executions lie ahead for suspects detained in nationwide protests while the Islamic Republic promised a “decisive response” if the US or Israel intervene in the domestic unrest.

However, US President Donald Trump made a vague statement on Wednesday that he has been told “on good authority” that plans for executions in Iran have stopped.

The US president’s claims, which were made with few details, come as he has told protesting Iranians in recent days that “help is on the way” and that his administration would “act accordingly” to respond to the Iranian government.

But Mr Trump has not offered any details about how the US might respond and it was not clear if his comments on Wednesday indicated he would hold off on action.

“We’ve been told that the killing in Iran is stopping – it’s stopped – it’s stopping,” Mr Trump said at the White House while signing executive orders and legislation. “And there’s no plan for executions, or an execution, or executions – so I’ve been told that on good authority.”

The Iranian threats emerged as some personnel at a key US military base in Qatar were advised to evacuate by Wednesday evening following Mr Trump’s escalated warnings of potential military action over the killing of peaceful demonstrators.

Mohammad Pakpour, commander of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, reiterated Iranian claims, without providing evidence, that the US and Israel have instigated the protests and that they are the real killers of protesters and security forces who have died in the turmoil, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.

He added that those countries will “receive the response in the appropriate time”.

Earlier Wednesday, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, Iran’s judiciary chief, said the government must act quickly to punish more than 18,000 people who have been detained through rapid trials and executions.

Activists warned that hangings of detainees could come soon.

The security force crackdown on the demonstrations has killed at least 2,586, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported.

The death toll exceeds that of any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The demonstrations began on December 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions levied in part over its nuclear programme.

Mr Trump has repeatedly warned about potential US military action over the killing of peaceful protesters, just months after American forces bombed Iranian nuclear sites during a 12-day war launched by Israel against the Islamic Republic in June.

In other developments on Wednesday, a mass funeral was held for some 100 security force members killed in the demonstrations.

Tens of thousands of mourners attended, holding Iranian flags and photos of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The coffins, covered in Iranian flags, stood stacked at least three high. Red and white roses and framed photographs of people who were killed covered them.

People elsewhere remained fearful in the streets. Plain-clothes security forces still milled around some neighbourhoods, though anti-riot police and members of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard’s all-volunteer Basij force appeared to have been sent back to their barracks.

“We are very frightened because of these sounds (of gunfire) and protests,” said a mother-of-two shopping for fruits and vegetables, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. “We have heard many are killed and many are injured. Now peace has been restored but schools are closed and I’m scared to send my children to school again.”

Ahmadreza Tavakoli, 36, told The Associated Press he witnessed one demonstration in Tehran and was shocked by the use of firearms by authorities.

“People were out to express themselves and protest, but quickly it turned into a war zone,” Mr Tavakoli said. “The people do not have guns. Only the security forces have guns.”

Mr Mohseni-Ejei’s comments about rapid trials and executions were made in a video shared by Iranian state television online.

“If we want to do a job, we should do it now. If we want to do something, we have to do it quickly,” he said. “If it becomes late, two months, three months later, it doesn’t have the same effect. If we want to do something, we have to do that fast.”

The comments stand as a direct challenge to Mr Trump, who warned Iran about executions in an interview with CBS aired on Tuesday.

“We will take very strong action,” Mr Trump said. “If they do such a thing, we will take very strong action.”

“We don’t want to see what’s happening in Iran happen. And you know, if they want to have protests, that’s one thing, when they start killing thousands of people, and now you’re telling me about hanging — we’ll see how that works out for them. It’s not going to work out good.”

One Arab Gulf diplomat told the AP that major Middle East governments had been discouraging the Trump administration from launching a war now with Iran, fearing “unprecedented consequences” for the region that could explode into a “full-blown war”.

The demonstrations began on December 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear programme. Iran’s government cut off the country from the internet and international telephone calls on January 8.

Activists said on Wednesday that Starlink was offering free service in Iran. The satellite internet service has been key in getting around an internet shutdown launched by the theocracy. Iran began allowing people to call out internationally on Tuesday via their mobile phones, but calls from people outside the country into Iran remain blocked.

“We can confirm that the free subscription for Starlink terminals is fully functional,” said Mehdi Yahyanejad, a Los Angeles-based activist who has helped get the units into Iran. “We tested it using a newly activated Starlink terminal inside Iran.”

Security service personnel also apparently were searching for Starlink dishes, as people in northern Tehran reported authorities raiding apartment buildings with satellite dishes. While satellite television dishes are illegal, many in the capital have them in homes, and officials broadly had given up on enforcing the law in recent years.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency said 2,417 of the dead were protesters and 147 were government-affiliated. Twelve children were killed, along with 10 civilians it said were not taking part in protests.

More than 18,100 people have been detained, the group said.