'May Have Turned A Corner’: Shashi Tharoor Sees Hope Of Iran De-escalation

Last Updated:January 17, 2026, 17:40 IST

Shashi Tharoor cautioned that the global community was not receiving complete or fully accurate information from Iran because authorities had cut internet access.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. (Image: PTI/File)

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Saturday said that there were indications that tensions surrounding Iran may be easing, pointing to reports that executions of protesters have been cancelled and that the United States has toned down its action. However, he cautioned that a lack of reliable information due to an ongoing communications blackout made assessments difficult.

While addressing reporters in Thiruvananthapuram, the senior Congress MP said that one positive sign was reports that Iranian authorities had cancelled the executions of more than 800 detainees that had been announced earlier.

“The evacuation is happening, the same time tension, as far as I know, is not increasing. I know that we don’t have access to the latest information because the internet has been cut by the authorities. But two good signs we’ve heard are that the authorities have cancelled the executions of over 800 people that they had announced previously. That’s a very good sign," he said as quoted by news agency ANI.

Tharoor also pointed to a shift in the United States’ posture, noting that Donald Trump had said he was holding off on any military strikes against Iran for the time being. He added that this might also be a sign of a cooling of the flares of tension that had gripped the region.

“And Mr. Trump has also said that he is holding off on any strikes for the moment. I think in some ways it’s a hopeful sign that we will see a dialing down of tension because I would not be surprised if all the countries in the neighborhood, the Gulf countries particularly some of the ones that could be at the receiving end of any disorder in Iran, refugees crossing over the Gulf into the Gulf countries and into other neighboring countries in the region," he added.

However, Tharoor cautioned that the global community was not receiving complete or fully accurate information from Iran because authorities had cut internet access. He said while there were reports that street protests were subsiding and executions had been halted, the situation remained difficult to assess.

Tharoor said that although the world is not able to access 100% information from Iran due to internet shutdown, the toning down of language from White House is an indicator in itself.

“I think they would all want some calm and order and would not want strikes, would not want attacks. But there’s also probably some anxiety about the geopolitical implications of allowing the situation to spiral out of control. So my gut feeling at the moment is we may have turned a corner. We’ll have to see," he said.

He added that any reduction in tensions would be positive not only for the people of Iran but also for regional stability.

Iran Unrest

The Middle East continues to remain on edge as the United States is mulling possible military action against Iran over killings related to widespread protests that have rocked the Islamic Republic since last month.

Iran entered its third week of anti-government demonstrations, with over 3,000 people killed since the protests erupted, with thousands more injured or arrested. As per reports, Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said that at least 3,000 protesters have been killed since the anti-government demonstrations began in December.

The protests erupted on December 28 over soaring inflation and have since grown into one of the most serious challenges to Iran’s clerical leadership since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Meanwhile, Iran has returned to an uneasy calm after a wave of protests. There have been no signs of protests for days in Tehran, where shopping and street life have returned to outward normality, though a week-old internet blackout continued. Authorities have not reported any unrest elsewhere in the country.

(With inputs from agencies)

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