Iran protester not sentenced to die for 'waging war against God'

An Iranian protester who the United States feared faced imminent execution will not be sentenced to death, the judiciary said Thursday, while Donald Trump said he would “watch it and see” about threatened military action.

Trump had repeatedly talked in recent days about coming to the aid of the Iranian people over the crackdown on protests that rights groups say have left at least 3,428 people dead.

The demonstrations were sparked by economic grievances but evolved rapidly into a nationwide push to unseat the Islamic republic in place since 1979.

The protests, which have seen thousands of people take to the streets in all corners of Iran against a government with zero tolerance for dissent, have constituted the greatest challenge the ruling theocratic system has faced.

Up until Wednesday, the United States was threatening military action against the authorities should they carry out the death penalty against people arrested over the protests.

In an announcement at the White House, Trump said he had now received assurances from “very important sources on the other side” that executions would not go ahead.

All eyes were on protester Erfan Soltani, 26, in prison in Karaj outside Tehran since his arrest, who is facing charges of propaganda against Iran’s Islamic system and acting against national security.

On Thursday, the Iranian judiciary said Soltani has “not been sentenced to death” and if he is convicted, “the punishment, according to the law, will be imprisonment, as the death penalty does not exist for such charges”.

The developments came hours ahead of a UN Security Council meeting on Iran later on Thursday, which was requested by the US.

“They’ve said the killing has stopped and the executions won’t take place -- there were supposed to be a lot of executions today and that the executions won’t take place -- and we’re going to find out,” Trump said.

The comments sent oil prices plunging on Thursday, as concerns eased of a looming supply shock in energy markets. Iran makes up around three percent of global oil production.

Asked by an AFP reporter in the Oval Office if US military action was now off the table, Trump replied: “We’re going to watch it and see what the process is.”

Iran’s judiciary chief on Wednesday vowed fast-track trials for those arrested, and prosecutors have said some detainees will face capital charges of “waging war against God”.

State media reported hundreds of arrests and the detention of a foreign national for espionage, without giving details.