CloseUS president Donald Trump said he's been told "on good authority" that plans for executions in Iran have stopped, even as Tehran pressed ahead with fast-track trials in its crackdown on protesters.
Trump previously told protesting Iranians that "help is on the way" and that his administration would "act accordingly" in response to the killing of thousands of demonstrators by the security forces.
The unrest in Iran has forced the UK to close its Tehran embassy and withdraw its staff from the country, while both Poland and Italy have urged their citizens to leave.
The UK is also withdrawing staff from a military base in Qatar, and the US is reducing its personnel numbers at its Qatari Al-Udeid air base – the Middle East's largest US base, which houses around 10,000 troops.
Tehran warned other regional countries that it would attack if the US launched military action on it in response to the deadly repression, which the US president has been threatening for days.
Tehran briefly closed its airspace late on Wednesday, though at 7am on Thursday morning several commercial flights entered Iranian airspace after the order expired.
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UN Security Council to hold emergency meeting on Iran
The UN Security Council will meet this afternoon to discuss the situation in Iran after the US requested an emergency meeting.
"I can now confirm that the [Security Council] presidency intends to schedule a briefing on the situation in Iran …. on Thursday … requested by the United States," said Khadija Ahmed, the spokesperson for the Somali mission.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar15 January 2026 06:00
'No plans for executions': Trump claims killings in Iran have stopped
Mike Bedigan15 January 2026 05:30
Airspace closure over Iran appears to have expired
An order by Iran closing its airspace to commercial aircraft appeared to have expired and several domestic flights were in the air just after 7am local time this morning.
The closure lasted for over four hours, during which time international carriers had diverted north and south around Iran.
Iran had also issued a notice to pilots stating that the closure was estimated to last until 7.30 am local time.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar15 January 2026 05:25
Oil drops as Trump calms Iran fears
Oil prices retreated from multi-month highs on Thursday and safe-haven gold eased back from a record peak after U.S. President Donald Trump calmed market anxiety about potential U.S. military action against Iran.
A selloff in tech stocks extended into Asian trading, after further declines on Wall Street as investors rotated out of high-flying chip- and artificial intelligence-related names, looking for bargains in other parts of the market.
Trump said on Wednesday afternoon that he had been told that killings in Iran's crackdown on nationwide protests were subsiding and he believed there was currently no plan for large-scale executions.
UK ambassador and all staff evacuated from Iran
The UK ambassador to Iran and all his staff have been evacuated from from the embassy in Tehran, British officials said Wednesday.
The decision had been taken based on the assessment of the security situation and to prioritize the safety of staff, as the U.S. weighs up launching strikes on Iran, according to Politico.
“We have temporarily closed the British Embassy in Tehran, this will now operate remotely. Foreign Office travel advice has now been updated to reflect this consular change,” a UK government spokesperson said.
Mike Bedigan15 January 2026 04:45
Trump says 'any regime can fall' when pushed on Iran
Speaking to the Reuters news agency in a new interview, US President Donald Trump said it was possible the government in Tehran could fall due to the protests, but added that "any regime can fail."
"Whether or not it falls or not, it's going to be an interesting period of time," he said.
Mike Bedigan15 January 2026 04:30
Flights appear to resume as Iranian airspace tentatively reopens
Some domestic flights in Iran have appeared to be resuming, shortly after the nation’s airspace was closed to all flights except those with prior permission.
“With the NOTAM [notice to airman] closing Iranian airspace expired, some flights are now making their way toward Tehran,” flight tracker website Flightradar24 said on X.
Several commercial flights were airborne Thursday morning local time, and heading towards airports in Tehran, the data showed.
It comes after US President Donald Trump said he has been told that the killing of protesters in Iran had been stopped.
Mike Bedigan15 January 2026 04:15
Trump says Iranian opposition figure 'seems very nice'
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi "seems very nice" but expressed uncertainty over whether Pahlavi would be able to muster support within Iran to eventually take over.
"He seems very nice, but I don't know how he'd play within his own country," Trump told Reuters. "And we really aren't up to that point yet.”
The president added: "I don't know whether or not his country would accept his leadership, and certainly if they would, that would be fine with me."
Trump's comments went further in questioning Pahlavi's ability to lead Iran after saying last week that he had no plans to meet with him.
Watch: Iran closes airspace as US escalates attack threats
Mike Bedigan15 January 2026 03:45
Exiled Iranian crown prince says victory is 'so close'
Exiled Crown Prince of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, said the Iranian people are “so close” to victory as he thanked the US for its support.
“Thank you so much for all your words of support for my compatriots in the darkest time in our history,” Pahlvi said, following a meeting with US Senator Lindsey Graham Wednesday.
“But hopefully, as we say in Iran, in Farsi, the end of the dark night is light, and this is probably the first time we have our so close to victory.”
He added: “To witness the resilience of my compatriots… They are fighting a great fight, and any solidarity can only help them achieve that goal sooner.”
“I believe with all my heart, that help is on the way,” Graham said while sitting next to Pahlavi in a video shared online.
US President Donald Trump has threatened strikes over the regime’s brutal crackdown on anti-government protests.
