Trump says Iran will not execute eight women after his request

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said Iran had halted alleged plans to execute eight women arrested over anti-government protests, after he urged Tehran to release them to help peace negotiations.

"I very much appreciate that Iran, and its leaders, respected my request, as President of the United States, and terminated the planned execution," he said on his Truth Social platform. Iran denied it planned to execute the women.

Rights groups have said at least one woman arrested over the January protests has been sentenced to death while at least one more is facing charges that carry the death penalty and could see her executed.

Trump had earlier said on social media that the women's release could work in Iran's favor in negotiations, reposting an activist's claim that eight women were facing death by hanging. That claim did not give names but included photographs of the women.

The fate of U.S.-Iran talks hosted by Pakistan remains unclear. A previous round collapsed with Tehran accusing the United States of making excessive demands over the Strait of Hormuz and its nuclear program.

Rights groups accuse the Islamic republic of using capital punishment to instill fear throughout society and stepping up executions of political prisoners against the background of the war against the United States and Israel.