President Donald Trump said Jan. 14 that highly-placed sources have assured him the “killing in Iran is stopping” amid the Iranian government’s crackdown on anti-government protests.
“We have been told that the killing in Iran is stopping, it has stopped, it’s stopping,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “And there’s no plan for executions or an execution or executions. So, I’ve been told that on good authority. We’ll find out about it.”
Trump did not identify the source of the information, describing it only as coming from “very important sources on the other side.” He added that executions had been expected Jan. 14 but would not take place.
Trump’s comments come amid weeks of nationwide unrest that began Dec. 28, 2025, over economic collapse and calls for regime change. Activists report thousands of deaths, and Trump has repeatedly warned that the U.S. could intervene if Iranian authorities continued killing protestors.
Earlier in the day, Iran’s judiciary chief, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, suggested that the government should move quickly to punish those detained in the unrest, calling for expedited trials and executions for the more than 18,000 arrested protestors, according to AP News.
“If we want to do a job, we should do it now. If we want to do something, we have to do it quickly,” Mohseni-Ejei said in a video aired by Iranian state TV and cited by AP News.
The President’s comments seemed to mark a softer tone after days of more aggressive rhetoric. On Jan. 13, Trump urged Iranian demonstrators to “KEEP PROTESTING” and promised that “HELP IS ON THE WAY” in a Truth Social post. He had earlier vowed to intervene in the country if the Iranian regime began to kill protestors, as CatholicVote reported.
Asked Jan. 14 whether military options were now off the table, Trump said, “We’re going to watch and see what the process is.”
The Trump administration has said the President retains a range of options, including conventional military action and cyber operations, though officials have offered few specifics.
Casualty estimates from the unrest vary widely. According to ABC News, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said it has verified a total of more than 2,000 deaths. CBS News reported Jan. 13 that estimates from sources inside Iran suggest at least 12,000 people have been killed, with the toll possibly as high as 20,000.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi defended the government’s response in a Jan. 14 interview with FOX News, telling anchor Bret Baier that “terrorist elements led from outside” infiltrated the protests and opened fire on police and security forces. Aragchi claimed the violence from outsiders was intended to drive up casualties and thus provoke U.S. intervention.
According to ABC News, Iran has restricted its airspace, issuing a notice to airmen that closes the country’s skies to most flights. The order allows only international civil arrivals and departures with prior approval from Iranian aviation authorities and is in effect through 7:30 p.m. ET Jan. 14, though it could be extended.
The U.S., meanwhile, advised some personnel to leave al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar amid heightened regional tensions, a U.S. official told ABC News. Trump also said it was “a good idea” for Americans to evacuate Iran itself, and the State Department said Jan. 13 that all U.S. citizens should leave the country, according to the outlet.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported Jan. 14 that two European officials said U.S. military intervention in Iran “appears likely” and could occur within 24 hours. One Western military official told the outlet that unpredictability is part of the Trump administration’s strategy to maintain pressure on Tehran.
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