Thank You! Donald Trump Heaps 'Praise' On Iran For Halting 800 Executions Amid US Threats

New Delhi: In a rare move, US President Donald Trump On Friday praised the Iranian government for its decision to halt the planned executions of numerous political prisoners, a group he estimated would have numbered in the hundreds.

“Iran canceled the hanging of over 800 people,” Trump said. He added “and I greatly respect the fact that they cancelled.”

These remarks followed several days of warnings from President Trump, during which he signalled that the United States might take military action if the Iranian government responded to the country's widespread protests with mass killings.

Is likelihood of U.S. military intervention decreasing?

Despite reports that the number of deaths related to the protests is still climbing, President Trump suggested that the likelihood of U.S. military intervention is decreasing, citing Iran's decision to refrain from the mass executions as the reason for the de-escalation.

When questioned who influenced his decision to retreat from threats of military action against Iran, President Trump asserted his independence, stating “Nobody convinced me. I convinced myself.”

“You had yesterday scheduled over 800 hangings. They didn’t hang anyone,” Trump said. “They cancelled the hangings. That had a big impact.”

Stance on Insurrection Act

Additionally, the President appeared to soften his stance on using the Insurrection Act to send military forces into Minneapolis to handle local unrest. On Friday, he noted that while he had previously threatened the move, he saw no immediate reason to implement it at this time.

"If I needed it, I'd use it,” the president told. “I don't think there's any reason right now to use it, but if I needed it, I'd use it. It's very powerful."

President Trump threatened to use the 1807 Insurrection Act as protests in Minneapolis intensified against federal agents involved in his large-scale immigration enforcement. Tensions reached a breaking point after an immigration officer, reportedly attacked with a shovel and broom handle, shot and injured a man on Wednesday. This incident compounded public outrage following the recent fatal shooting of Renee Good by a federal agent.

Trump-Machado meeting

Separately, Trump discussed his White House meeting with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.

During the visit, Machado reportedly presented Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize. Trump accepted it, describing her as a "very fine woman" and noting that he kept the award because it was offered as a "nice gesture." He further claimed that he has ended eight wars and stated that Machado told him he was the most deserving recipient of the honor. However, the Nobel committee has clarified that the prize is non-transferable and cannot be shared or given away.

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