Khamenei Blames Trump for Protest Deaths as U.S. Cites Paused Executions in Iran

Overview

• Iran’s supreme leader said on January 17 that President Trump bears responsibility for casualties and damage during the country’s unrest.
• Trump on January 13 urged Iranians to continue demonstrations, said he canceled meetings with Iranian officials, and wrote that help was on the way.
• The next day Trump said he was told executions had stopped and later thanked Iranian authorities for canceling more than 800 scheduled executions.
• White House spokesperson Caroline Leavitt said 800 executions slated for the prior day were canceled and said the president is monitoring developments with all options under review.
• Rights groups report thousands of protester deaths and mass arrests, and there is no independent confirmation of the reported pause in executions.