From the Liveblog of
Friday, January 16, 2026
Trump says ‘thank you’ to Iran’s leadership for not hanging protesters
US President Donald Trump thanks Iran’s leadership, saying Tehran called off the executions of hundreds of protesters arrested in a brutal crackdown.
“I greatly respect the fact that all scheduled hangings, which were to take place yesterday (Over 800 of them), have been cancelled by the leadership of Iran. Thank you!” Trump writes on his Truth Social network.
Earlier this week, Trump told Iranian protesters that “help is on its way,” but since then appears to have backed away from taking military action against the Islamic Republic.
The Norway-based Iran Human Rights group has verified that 3,428 protesters have been killed by security forces.
That toll is based on cases IHR has verified itself or via two independent sources. It also includes data received from sources within the health ministry for January 8 to 12, the organization said in a recent report.
The organization warns the toll is likely much higher, but the lack of access to information due to the internet blackout imposed on January 8 has severely hampered verification.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.