<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s nationwide protest movement appeared to have slowed on Thursday under the weight of a brutal crackdown by authorities that has left thousands dead and put tens of thousands in prison.<\/p>\n
In Tehran, Iranians reported relative calm on the streets as the sound of gunfire faded and fires were extinguished \u2013 a marked contrast from the weeks before when large crowds confronted security forces.<\/p>\n
The slowdown of protests came just two days after Donald Trump urged Iranians to \u201ckeep protesting \u2013 take over your institutions\u201d, promising \u201chelp is on its way\u201d. Intelligence assessments had indicated that the US was preparing to strike Iran, a move Trump had threatened if Iran\u2019s government killed protesters.<\/p>\n
But on Wednesday night Trump appeared to walk back<\/a> from the brink of a military intervention, telling reporters that Iranian authorities were halting executions.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been told that the killing in Iran is stopping \u2013 it\u2019s stopped \u2013 it\u2019s stopping. And there\u2019s no plan for executions, or an execution, or execution \u2013 so I\u2019ve been told that on good authority,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n The White House later claimed that 800 executions scheduled in Iran had been halted. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump and his team had warned that there would be \u201cgrave consequences\u201d if killings continued. \u201cThe president understands today that 800 executions that were scheduled and supposed to take place yesterday, were halted,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n But Trump continues closely watching the situation, she said. \u201cAll options remain on the table for the president,\u201d Leavitt said.<\/p>\n The US ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, echoed those sentiments at a meeting of the UN security council on Thursday night, saying the US stands by the \u201cbrave people of Iran\u201d and Trump \u201chas made it clear all options are on the table to stop the slaughter\u201d.<\/p>\n Hossein Darzi, the deputy Iranian ambassador to the UN, blasted the US for what he claimed was its \u201cdirect involvement in steering unrest in Iran to violence\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cUnder the hollow pretext of concern for the Iranian people and claims of support for human rights, the United States is attempting to portray itself as a friend of the Iranian people, while simultaneously laying the groundwork for political destabilisation and military intervention under a so-called \u2018humanitarian\u2019 narrative,\u201d Darzi said.<\/p>\n Russia\u2019s UN ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, accused the US of convening the meeting in a bid to \u201cjustify blatant aggression and interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state\u201d. Russia defended Iran\u2019s actions, the only member of the council to do so.<\/p>\n France\u2019s UN ambassador, J\u00e9r\u00f4me Bonnafont, called for the immediate release of all those arbitrarily detained and the suspension of the death penalty, while Britain\u2019s deputy ambassador, Archibald Young, said<\/a> \u201cIran must urgently change course\u201d and respect the fundamental rights of Iranians, \u201cincluding the right to protest without fear of violence or repression\u201d.<\/p>\n