After Trump's Warning, Iran Says Protester Erfan Soltani Won't Be Executed

Last Updated:January 15, 2026, 20:06 IST

Trump cited Fox News to say an unnamed Iranian protester would not be executed, hours after Iran’s judiciary said no death sentence had been issued for Erfan Soltani.

Trump quoted Fox News to say an Iranian protester would not be executed, without naming the individual, as Iran later denied issuing a death sentence to Erfan Soltani. (IMAGE: REUTERS/@paraicobrien/X)

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Iran would not execute protesters, citing a Fox News report, hours after Iran’s judiciary said no death sentence had been issued for Erfan Soltani, a 26-year-old demonstrator whose case had triggered international outcry.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump quoted Fox News as saying an Iranian protester and others would no longer be sentenced to death, adding, “This is good news. Hopefully, it will continue."

The post did not name the protester, and the US President also did not specify which report it was.

Iran’s judiciary later said that Soltani had not been sentenced to death, according to Iranian state media. The clarification came amid widespread reports that Soltani’s execution was imminent following his arrest during protests earlier this month.

According to The New York Times, Soltani’s case drew intense international attention after his family and human rights groups said he had been sentenced to death just days after being detained in early January.

Those reports prompted alarm among rights organisations and foreign governments over the treatment of arrested protesters in Iran. The New York Times reported that Iran’s state broadcaster, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, said on social media that Soltani faced charges of assembly and collusion against national security and propaganda against the system.

The broadcaster added that Iranian law does not prescribe the death penalty for those offences and that, if convicted, Soltani would face imprisonment.

He is being held at the Central Prison of Karaj, west of Tehran.

Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, denied on Wednesday night that Iran intended to execute protesters, describing the claims as part of a misinformation campaign aimed at provoking the United States into taking action.

In an interview on Fox News, Araghchi said he had not heard of any plans to carry out executions of demonstrators. Iran has been grappling with widespread unrest for more than two weeks after protests erupted in late December over the sharp fall of the Iranian rial, rising inflation, and worsening economic conditions.

Demonstrations that began in Tehran’s markets and bazaars quickly spread nationwide, with protesters voicing broader grievances against the government. Authorities have responded with a sweeping crackdown, including arrests and internet restrictions that have made it difficult to verify the scale and location of protests.

Iran’s chief justice, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, said on Thursday that prosecutions would be carried out swiftly against what officials have described as “rioters," particularly those accused of links to foreign intelligence services.

News world After Trump's Warning, Iran Says Protester Erfan Soltani Won't Be Executed

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