President Donald Trump claims that Tehran has “no intention” to execute demonstrators, yet he has not excluded the possibility of US military intervention in response to its brutal suppression of anti-government protests.

The US and UK are both scaling back their presence at the Al-Udeid air base located in Qatar. Officials informed CBS, which collaborates with the BBC in the US, that a partial withdrawal of American forces is merely a “precautionary measure”.

Iran closed its airspace to almost all flights for five hours overnight, prompting several airlines to announce rerouting their flights away from Iran.

The UK Foreign Office has also temporarily shut down the British embassy in Tehran, which will now function remotely, as stated by a government representative.

Speaking at the White House on Wednesday, Trump mentioned that his administration received “solid information” indicating that “the killings in Iran are halting, and no plans for executions exist”.

In response to a reporter’s inquiry, Trump noted that he was informed by “very credible sources” about these developments, expressing hope that such reports were accurate.

Initial protests sparked by the plummeting value of the Iranian currency started in late December but quickly escalated into a broader crisis challenging the legitimacy of Iran’s clerical leadership.

Earlier, Trump had cautioned of “very strong measures” against Iran should its government proceed with executing protesters, following reports that a 26-year-old individual arrested amid the protests was sentenced to death.

Erfan Soltani was supposed to be executed on Wednesday, according to his family who spoke to BBC Persian. They later informed the Norway-based Kurdish human rights organization Hengaw that his execution had been delayed.

Iranian officials have allegedly not provided any additional details regarding Soltani’s case, only mentioning that he was apprehended related to a protest.

The owner of a clothing store was arrested in Fardis, a city located just west of Tehran, last week.

In light of potential execution reports, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi remarked that “hanging is not an option” and assured that there would be “no hanging today or in the near future”.

In comments to Fox News, he also cautioned the US president against “repeating the same error as in June,” adding: “If you pursue a failed strategy, expect the same outcome.” In June 2025, the US targeted three of Iran’s nuclear facilities over suspicions that Tehran might use them to create a nuclear weapon.

In addition to the temporary closure of the British embassy in Tehran, the US Mission to Saudi Arabia has recommended its staff and citizens to “exercise heightened caution and minimize unnecessary travel to military sites in the area”.

Italy and Poland have issued advisories urging their nationals to depart from Iran, while Germany has suggested that air operators refrain from entering Iranian airspace due to potential risks from “heightening conflicts and anti-aircraft weapons”.

The German airline Lufthansa confirmed it would avoid Iranian and Iraqi airspace “until further notice”.

The US embassy in Doha has recommended its staff to practice heightened vigilance and restrict non-essential travel to the Al-Udeid air base, while the Qatari government stated it would persist in “implementing all necessary measures to ensure the security and safety of its citizens and residents”.

Al-Udeid stands as the largest US military installation in the Middle East, housing around 10,000 personnel and about 100 UK staff. It remains uncertain how many will be departing.

Earlier this week, the US president encouraged Iranians to “CONTINUE PROTESTING” via a message on his Truth Social platform, assuring that “ASSISTANCE IS ON ITS WAY”.

Trump has shown hesitance to openly back any adversaries of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stating that “we’re not quite there yet” during a Reuters interview on Wednesday.

When asked about potentially supporting Iranian opposition leader Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the last Shah of Iran, Trump remarked “I’m unsure if his country would accept his leadership, but if they did, that would be acceptable to me”.

“He appears very appealing, but I’m not certain how he would be perceived in his homeland,” Trump added.

Numerous Iranian protesters called for Pahlavi’s return during the protests that commenced over three weeks ago; however, determining the depth of his support within the nation remains challenging.

Trump also indicated that the Iranian regime could collapse due to the ongoing protests, although he mentioned that “any regime has the potential to fail”.

Tehran has enforced a national internet blackout since last Thursday as authorities intensified their crackdown on anti-government protests.

The BBC and the majority of other international media outlets are also unable to report from within Iran, complicating the process of gathering and confirming information.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that it has confirmed the deaths of 2,435 protesters, including 13 children. Additionally, the group stated that another 882 fatalities are currently under investigation.

Caution: This article contains graphic descriptions of death and injury

Returning home after participating in a protest in Tehran on 8 January, Reza embraced his wife Maryam for protection. “Out of nowhere, I sensed my arm became light – all I held was her jacket,” he shared with a relative who subsequently communicated with BBC Persian. Maryam was fatally shot – and they were unaware of the bullet’s origin.

Reza carried Maryam’s remains for an hour and a half. Worn out, he settled in an alley. Shortly after, a nearby door swung open. The residents invited them into their garage, provided a white sheet, and enclosed Maryam’s body within it.

Days prior to Maryam’s participation in the protests, she had informed her children – aged seven and 14 – about the situation in their homeland. “Sometimes parents attend protests and do not return,” she remarked. “My blood, and yours, is not more precious than that of anyone else.”

The names of Reza and Maryam have been altered to ensure their safety.

Maryam represents one of countless protestors who were anticipated to come home but did not, as authorities responded to the swift spread of protests with a brutal crackdown.

The Iranian Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), based in the US, claims to have verified the deaths of at least 2,400 protesters, including 12 children, in the past three weeks.

Determining the actual death toll is extremely challenging, as it is expected to increase in the coming days, due to a near-total internet blackout imposed by Iranian authorities since Thursday night.

Human rights organizations have no direct access to the nation and, like other international news agencies, the BBC is unable to report from within.

While Iranian authorities have not disclosed a death count, local outlets have reported that 100 security personnel have died, and protesters—depicted as “rioters and terrorists”—have set ablaze numerous mosques and banks across various cities.

Protests erupted in Tehran on 29 December following a sharp decline of the Iranian currency against the dollar. As demonstrations spread to numerous towns and cities, they began directing their anger towards the clerical regime of Iran.

Security forces quickly initiated a violent crackdown, with at least 34 protesters reported dead by 7 January, the 11th day of the unrest. However, it seems the most brutal responses occurred last Thursday and Friday, as thousands took to the streets nationwide to demand an end to the rule of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

BBC Persian has collected numerous testimonies from within Iran. Despite the potential risks, witnesses stated they wanted the world to be aware of the violence inflicted upon protesters.

“Our community reeks of blood – they’ve taken so many lives,” one individual told BBC Persian. Another recounted that security forces “primarily targeted heads and faces”.

The protests have proliferated across all 31 provinces. The information coming in clearly indicates that the scale of killings in smaller cities and towns is as severe as in major urban areas.

In Tonekabon, a community of 50,000 in the north, Sorena Golgun was killed on Friday. The 18-year-old university student was “shot in the heart” while escaping from a security force ambush, as revealed by a family member.

Similar to Sorena, many other victims were young and filled with aspirations. Robina Aminian, a 23-year-old fashion-design student desiring to study in Milan, was shot dead in Tehran on Thursday.

Her mother took about six hours to traverse from their home in Kermanshah to retrieve Robina’s body from Tehran. On her return journey, she cradled her cherished daughter. However, upon her arrival, security forces compelled her to inter the body in a secluded cemetery outside the city – devoid of any family or friends.

Not all those who lost their lives were protesters. Navid Salehi, a 24-year-old nurse from Kermanshah, was shot multiple times as he left work on Thursday.

Numerous bodies of protesters were taken to the Kahrizak Forensic Medical Centre in Tehran.

The scenes there were so disturbing that Sahanand, who chose to remain anonymous, opted to travel nearly 1,000km to a border zone to send video footage using the mobile data services of bordering countries. On Saturday, Sahanand reported observing more than 2,000 bodies lying on the ground.

Again, the BBC lacks the ability to verify this. Nonetheless, in two recently shared videos from Kahrizak, BBC Verify and BBC Persian have tallied at least 186 bodies in one video and at least 178 bodies in another. The two clips likely depict some of the same corpses, so we cannot definitively ascertain, but the actual count is probably much greater.

A young woman, speaking to BBC Persian while remaining anonymous, characterized last week’s events as resembling “a war.” The protesters appeared “more unified than ever,” yet the overwhelming circumstances compelled her to flee the country this week – joining many others who fear a renewed wave of executions and prosecutions by the authorities.

“I’m incredibly frightened about the fate of those who remain in Iran,” she expressed.

Further reporting by Farzad Seifikaran and Hasan Solhjou