On Friday, Iran’s chief prosecutor refuted President Donald Trump’s recent statement regarding the cancellation of over 800 executions in Iran, labeling the president’s claim as “entirely untrue.”
Last week, Trump took to Truth Social, expressing his admiration for Iran’s decision to halt the executions, saying, “I greatly respect the fact that all scheduled hangings, which were to take place yesterday (Over 800 of them), have been cancelled by the leadership of Iran. Thank you!”
Yet, Iran’s chief prosecutor, Mohammad Movahedi, countered this assertion, stating, “This claim is completely false; no such number exists, nor has the judiciary made any such decision,” as reported by The Associated Press.
Movahedi further emphasized, “We have a separation of powers, the responsibilities of each institution are clearly defined, and we do not, under any circumstances, take instructions from foreign powers,” in a statement disseminated by the Iranian judiciary’s Mizan news agency.
President Donald Trump is pictured in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)
In response to inquiries on Friday, a White House representative conveyed to Fox News Digital that Trump is closely observing the developments in Iran and maintains that all options are on the table should the Tehran government proceed with executing protesters.
The official added that following Trump’s warnings to Iran, demonstrators who were set to be sentenced to death there were not.
The White House official also said Trump believes this is good news and is hoping the trend continues.
Iranians gather while blocking a street during a protest in Tehran, Iran, on Jan. 9, 2026. (MAHSA / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)
“What I will say with respect to Iran is that the president and his team have communicated to the Iranian regime that if the killing continues, there will be grave consequences,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters last week.
As of Friday, there have been 5,032 deaths during the crackdown against anti-government protesters in Iran, the AP reported, citing the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.
Protesters gather as vehicles burn during anti-government unrest in Tehran, Iran, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video released on Jan. 9, 2026. (Social Media/via Reuters)
Iran’s government offered its first death toll Wednesday, saying 3,117 people had been killed. It claimed that 2,427 of the dead in the demonstrations that began Dec. 28 were civilians and security forces, with the rest being “terrorists.”
