Iran protester not sentenced to death

PARIS, France (AFP) — An Iranian man arrested during a wave of protests, who non-government organizations and Washington had warned faced imminent execution, has not been sentenced to death and is not facing charges that risk the death penalty, the judiciary said on Thursday.

Erfan Soltani is imprisoned in Karaj outside Tehran after his arrest and is facing charges of propaganda against Iran’s Islamic system and acting against national security, the judiciary said in a statement carried by state TV.

He 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,” it added.

United States President Donald Trump said Wednesday he had been told the killings of protesters in Iran had been halted, but added that 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 has left at least 3,428 people dead.

But in a surprise announcement at the White House, Trump said he had now received assurances from “very important sources on the other side” that Tehran had now stopped, and that executions would not go ahead.

He offered no details and noted that the United States had yet to verify the claims.

Asked by an Agence France-Presse 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.”

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