Trump Says 'No Plan for Executions' in Iran

President Donald Trump during an oval office bill-signing ceremony Wednesday said that he learned the killing in Iran has ended.

The Details: "We've been told that the killing in Iran is stopping, and it's stopped and stopping, and there's no plan for executions or an execution," Trump said during the address, adding "So, I've been told that on good authority. We'll find out about it." When asked if military action was off the table, Trump said "We're going to watch and see what the process is. But we were given a very good, very good statement by people that are aware of what's going on."

For Context: Protests in Iran over the country's current economic situation and discontent with the current leadership have escalated since the beginning of January spurring Trump to weigh military intervention options. Reports have accused the Iranian government of killing protestors, but the death toll numbers have been widely varied and disputed. Many have asked the question, especially since Iran's decision to cut off internet and phone services in the country, of how the US will respond to the situation. Trump's shift in tone against the situation changed just one day after his urging of Iranians to "KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers," adding "HELP IS ON ITS WAY."

How The Media Covered It: Some outlets, like Al Jazeera (Lean Left bias) called the change in tone one of "Trump's bluffs" and gave examples such as Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro being abducted "amid diplomacy and limited strikes" and the strikes on Iran during Operation Midnight Hammer at the end of the 12-Day war "when 'two-weeks' of diplomacy appeared imminent." Bloomberg (Lean Left) highlighted Trump's comments and shift in tone, saying "Trump signals he'll hold off another attack on Iran for now" while also adding that officials informed the outlet about military logistics moves that "parallelled steps taken ahead of US airstrikes against Iran in June." Jim Geraghty (Lean Right) writing for National Review Opinion (Right) said Trump's "sudden reversal" on Iran "came out of nowhere" and said "If this is genuinely the president's intended course of action, you're going to hear the acronym 'TACO'—'Trump Always Chickens Out'—a lot in the coming days and weeks, and deservedly so." Fox News (Right) in one article highlighted Trump's statements surrounding the situation while also mentioning that White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, "diplomacy remains Trump's first option." Another Fox News article focused on "death to America" chants from pro-regime demonstrators holding signs calling for Trump's assassination being shown on Iranian state television. The Times of Israel (Center) chose to highlight a New York Times (Lean Left) report alleging that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked Trump to delay US strikes on Iran the same day that Trump had heard the killings had stopped.

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