We\u2019ll bring you more on this latest development<\/a> \u2013 reported just now by Reuters \u2013 as it comes to hand.<\/p>\n Soltani, a clothing shop employee, was arrested north-west of Tehran last Thursday after participating in protests and was due to be executed on Wednesday, according to rights groups.<\/p>\n Donald Trump said earlier at the White House that \u201cvery important sources on the other side\u201d had assured him that Iran\u2019s killing of protesters had been halted and that planned executions would not go ahead.<\/p>\n He also said when asked about whether the US\u2019s threatened military action was now off the table that he would \u201cwatch it and see\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a002.26 EST<\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n A bit more detail on the news that Erfan Soltani has not been sentenced to death, as we reported earlier (see 6.37am GMT<\/a>).<\/p>\n The Iranian judiciary said on Thursday that Soltani has \u201cnot been sentenced to death\u201d and if he is convicted, \u201cthe punishment, according to the law, will be imprisonment, as the death penalty does not exist for such charges\u201d.<\/p>\n Soltani is imprisoned in Karaj outside Tehran after his arrest and is facing charges of propaganda against Iran\u2019s Islamic system and acting against national security, the judiciary said in a statement carried by state TV.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n French President Emmanuel Macron convened an emergency defence cabinet in Paris on Thursday to discuss US President Donald\u2019s Trump\u2019s stated intent to acquire Greenland and the forceful crackdown on nationwide protests in Iran.<\/p>\n The crisis meeting, confirmed by a French official, was scheduled to begin at 7am GMT, reports Reuters.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Trump: Iranian opposition figure Pahlavi ‘seems nice’ but unclear if he has necessary support<\/p>\n Trump has told Reuters in that Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi \u201cseems very nice\u201d but expressed uncertainty over whether Pahlavi would be able to muster support within Iran<\/a> to eventually take over.<\/p>\n Trump said it is possible the government in Tehran could fall due to the protests, but that in truth \u201cany regime can fail\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWhether or not it falls or not, it\u2019s going to be an interesting period of time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n More on Erfan Soltani<\/a>: the 26-year-old Iranian man arrested on 10 January during Iran\u2019s protests has not been sentenced to death, the country\u2019s judiciary was quoted by state media as saying on Thursday.<\/p>\n The judiciary said Soltani was being charged with \u201ccolluding against the country\u2019s internal security and propaganda activities against the regime\u201d but that the death penalty did not apply to such charges if they were confirmed by a court, Reuters has just reported.<\/p>\n Soltani is being held in the central penitentiary of Karaj, the report said.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a002.28 EST<\/p>\n Iranian judiciary says protester Erfan Soltani not sentenced to death<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s judiciary says Erfan Soltani has not been sentenced to death, according to Iranian state media.<\/p>\n Soltani, 26, was the first Iranian protester given a death sentence since the current unrest began.<\/p>\n His family said earlier that it had been told his execution had been postponed<\/a>.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll bring you more on this latest development<\/a> \u2013 reported just now by Reuters \u2013 as it comes to hand.<\/p>\n Soltani, a clothing shop employee, was arrested north-west of Tehran last Thursday after participating in protests and was due to be executed on Wednesday, according to rights groups.<\/p>\n Erfan Soltani was the first Iranian protester sentenced to death amid the current unrest. Photograph: Supplied by family<\/p>\n Donald Trump said earlier at the White House that \u201cvery important sources on the other side\u201d had assured him that Iran\u2019s killing of protesters had been halted and that planned executions would not go ahead.<\/p>\n He also said when asked about whether the US\u2019s threatened military action was now off the table that he would \u201cwatch it and see\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a002.26 EST<\/p>\n Deepfake videos flood web amid Iran internet blackout<\/p>\n AI-generated videos purportedly depicting protests in Iran<\/a> have flooded the web, researchers say, as social media users push hyper-realistic deepfakes to fill an information void amid the country\u2019s internet restrictions.<\/p>\n US disinformation watchdog NewsGuard said it identified seven AI-generated videos depicting the Iranian protests \u2013 created by both pro- and anti-government actors \u2013 that had collectively amassed about 3.5m views across online platforms.<\/p>\n Among them was a video shared on Elon Musk\u2019s X showing women protesters smashing a vehicle belonging to the Basij, the Iranian paramilitary force deployed to suppress the protests, reports Agence France-Presse.<\/p>\n One X post featuring the AI clip \u2013 shared by what NewsGuard described as anti-regime users \u2013 garnered nearly 720,000 views.<\/p>\n A genuine image of Iranians attending an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, last Friday. Photograph: AP<\/p>\n Anti-regime X and TikTok users in the US also posted AI videos depicting Iranian protesters symbolically renaming local streets after Donald Trump.<\/p>\n The AI creations highlight the growing prevalence of what experts call \u201challucinated\u201d visual content on social media during major news events, often overshadowing authentic images and videos.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a001.28 EST<\/p>\n Tensions between the US and Iran appear to have eased as Donald Trump adopted a more measured tone towards Tehran and suggested a pause in his decision on threatened US military action.<\/p>\n As you can read in our fresh full report<\/a>, Trump had spoken repeatedly in recent days about coming to the aid of the Iranian people over the ruling regime\u2019s crackdown on protests that a human rights group says has now killed at least 3,428 people and led to the arrest of more than 10,000.<\/p>\n But as mentioned earlier, Trump said in a surprise announcement at the White House that he had received assurances from \u201cvery important sources on the other side\u201d that Tehran had now stopped the use of lethal force on protesters and that executions would not go ahead.<\/p>\n Asked if US military action was now off the table, Trump responded: \u201cWe\u2019re going to watch it and see what the process is.\u201d<\/p>\n You can read the full report here:<\/p>\n A protester holds a flag showing the Pahlavi dynasty on it during a demonstration against Iran\u2019s ruling regime outside its embassy in London. Photograph: Kriszti\u00e1n Elek\/ShutterstockShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a001.21 EST<\/p>\n Moving for a moment to Australia, protesters have staged a rally outside the Iranian embassy in Canberra to demand regime change in Iran<\/a>.<\/p>\n About 100 demonstrators chanted \u201cdemocracy for Iran\u201d and \u201cKing Reza Pahlavi\u201d, a reference to the last Iranian shah\u2019s exiled son<\/a> \u2013 a key figure in the anti-government protests.<\/p>\n James Younessi, a Sydney doctor who spoke at the demonstration, said he would happily move back to his home country if the regime was overthrown, Australian Associated Press has reported.<\/p>\n But he was hesitant about more American intervention in the Middle East, saying:<\/p>\n I don\u2019t want Iran to be indentured to any foreign nation the moment anybody interferes. But if it means saving one life for it, we want a measured response that we can have this bloodshed ended.<\/p>\n The demonstration outside the Iranian embassy in Canberra, Australia, on Thursday. Photograph: Lukas Coch\/AAP<\/p>\n Another protester, Omid Fakhri, who hadn\u2019t heard from his family in Iran because of the internet blackout, was more positive about US military action.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t care which military, just a military is fine, as long as they can go in and stop the massacre,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Foreign minister Penny Wong said Australia continued to urge people not to travel to Iran, and warned the security situation could deteriorate rapidly.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n A little more now on Iran\u2019s reopening of its airspace to flights after a near-five-hour closure that forced airlines to cancel, reroute or delay some flights.<\/p>\n Iran closed its airspace to all flights except international ones to and from Iran with official permission at 10.15pm GMT on Wednesday, according to a notice on the US Federal Aviation Administration website.<\/p>\n The notice was removed shortly before 3am GMT, according to tracking service Flightradar24, which showed five flights from Iranian carriers Mahan Air, Yazd Airways and AVA Airlines were among the first to resume over the country.<\/p>\n Map showing flights avoiding Iran earlier as airspace above the country was closed. Photograph: Flight Radar 24Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a023.54 EST<\/p>\n Oil prices plunge as Iran instability fears ease<\/p>\n The price of oil dropped on Thursday after concerns over instability in Iran were eased by comments from Donald Trump, and gold and silver prices also dipped.<\/p>\n West Texas Intermediate fell 3.0% to $60.16 a barrel while Brent crude was down 2.93% to $64.57.<\/p>\n The plunge came after the US president said he had been told the killings of protesters in Iran<\/a> had been halted.<\/p>\n Reaction across Asian markets has been mixed as trading got under way on Thursday. Hong Kong, Shanghai, Taipei, Wellington, Mumbai and Kuala Lumpur fell, while Sydney, Seoul, Bangkok and Manila posted minimal gains.<\/p>\n Concern that the Iran situation could restrict supplies of crude had caused oil prices to rise about 1.5% on Wednesday.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a000.59 EST<\/p>\n India latest country to urge its citizens to leave Iran<\/p>\n India has advised its citizens to leave Iran<\/a> by any transport possible.<\/p>\n The Indian embassy in Tehran said in a post on X<\/a>:<\/p>\n Indian nationals who are currently in Iran (students, pilgrims, business persons and tourists) are advised to leave Iran by available means of transport, including commercial flights.<\/p>\n The embassy also advised its citizens to be cautious and \u201cavoid areas of protests or demonstrations\u201d.<\/p>\n The US, Germany and Spain are among the counties reported to have earlier advised their citizens to leave Iran.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a000.54 EST<\/p>\n Opening summary<\/p>\n Welcome to our continuing live coverage of the crisis in Iran<\/a>.<\/p>\n Donald Trump says he has been assured that the killing of Iranian protesters has been halted, adding when asked about whether the threatened US military action was now off the table that he will \u201cwatch it and see\u201d.<\/p>\n The president said at the White House that \u201cvery important sources on the other side\u201d had now assured him that Iranian executions would not go ahead. \u201cThey\u2019ve said the killing has stopped and the executions won\u2019t take place,\u201d Trump said. \u201cThere were supposed to be a lot of executions today and that the executions won\u2019t take place \u2013 and we\u2019re going to find out.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi told Fox News that executions executions were not taking place and there would be \u201cno hanging today or tomorrow\u201d. \u201cI\u2019m confident that there is no plan for hanging.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Erfan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768466528_185_5000.jpg\")
Erfan Soltani was the first Iranian protester sentenced to death amid the current unrest. Photograph: Supplied by family<\/p>\n