Name: Trump says Iran executions are slowing as Soltani case delayed
Uploaded: 2026-01-15T14:24:16.253Z
Duration: 4 min 9 s
Description: President Trump alluded to killings stopping in Iran and executions not occurring, but did not say who provided the U.S. with that information.

President Trump alluded to killings stopping in Iran and executions not occurring, but did not say who provided the U.S. with that information.

Washington

President Trump stated that executions in Iran appear to be slowing, referencing information from undisclosed sources. He emphasized that the United States would respond strongly if the Iranian regime executed demonstrators, though he did not specify what actions might be taken. Iranian authorities have claimed that protestor Irfan Soltani is not facing execution, contrary to earlier reports, while a human rights group informed CBS News that his execution has been postponed.

Global affairs analyst Jonathan Wachtell discussed the broader implications of the unrest, noting that rapid regime change in Iran could destabilize the region and affect neighboring countries. He highlighted the Iranian government's efforts to control information and suppress protests, suggesting that the regime is focused on maintaining power rather than pursuing reform. The situation remains uncertain, with ongoing pressure from the public and international attention.

Trump says Iran executions are slowing as Soltani case delayed

We turn now to Iran's deadly crackdown on anti-government protests. President Trump says, quote, the killing is stopping in Iran. And he said he was told on good authority, but didn't elaborate on exactly where he got that information. Tuesday, the president told CBS Evening News anchor Tony DeCopol the U.S. would take very strong action if the regime in Tehran hangs demonstrators. Here's what the president said yesterday. There's no plan for executions or an execution or executions. Does this mean military action is now off the table against Iran? We're going to watch and see what the process is. And this is also new this morning. Iran's judiciary is claiming that detained 26-year-old Irfan Soltani, you see him here, is not facing execution, which had been widely reported. However, a human rights group in touch with his family tells CBS News his execution was postponed. Global affairs analyst Jonathan Wachtell joins me now to discuss all of this. He previously served as senior policy advisor and director of communications for the U.S. mission at the U.N. Jonathan, good morning. Give us the bigger picture here. What should the American public and our viewers make of what's happening in Iran? President Trump seems to be assured that the executions have ended or have stopped, the killing has stopped. But what should we make of the real picture? You know, Errol, I think what we're looking at is this realization that, you know, the reverberations of any sort of U.S. strike could—and a demise, complete demise and rapid demise of the regime in Iran would cause convulsions in the region. There's jitters in the neighboring states, particularly the Gulf nations, that have had an adversarial, complicated relationship with Iran. And then, you know, concerns about how this affects the balance of power between Israel and the region and considerations that go beyond the absolutely horrific images and heartbreaking ways in which we've watched this unfold with the demonstrators being slaughtered en masse and those concerns. And Iran has cut off access to some communication and Internet lines. There's some reporting that it could be extended for a number of weeks. It briefly closed its airspace without explanation. Are those examples of a regime nervous by the widespread anger? Yes, indeed. It's them trying to control the narrative here. And if you shut off the communications, that certainly gives them the voice and the ability to try to contain this outburst of discontent and try to shut this whole enterprise down as rapidly as we can. And this shift in trying not to stir the situation by executing Mr. Soltani is obviously something very visual that, you know, is something that's being monitored and it's being contained. We're really looking at what may be a phase in which there's an attempt to try to manage the regime, not some sort of situation in which we'd see some sort of regime change that would happen rapidly. And Jonathan, just in our last few seconds, I want to acknowledge President Trump has reacted to the development that the Iranian protestor will no longer be sentenced to death. The president quoting that reporting within the past hour, saying this is good news, hopefully it will continue. Where do you expect things to go from here? One thing that is certain is—and we've seen this with these poor people getting slaughtered and braving, going out to protest against this regime—is it is loathe, and they want it gone. So, there will still be that pressure on the regime itself to try to save its own neck here, and they'll do it with whatever brutal force they need to do to contain it, because at the end of the day, when they're out, the justice will turn and they'll pay the price for what they did to their own people. Yeah, a remarkable sequence of events, no matter what happens next. Jonathan Wachtell, we appreciate your insight this morning. Thanks for being with us.

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