From the Liveblog of
Thursday, January 15, 2026
White House: Iran called off 800 executions following threats from Trump
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
Eight-hundred executions that had been supposed to take place yesterday were called off following US President Donald Trump’s warnings to the Islamic Republic not to kill protesters, the White House says.
“The president and his team have communicated to the Iranian regime that if the killing continues, there will be consequences. The president [then] received a message… that the killing and the executions will stop,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says during a press briefing.
“The president understands today that 800 executions that were scheduled and supposed to take place yesterday were halted,” she adds.
Iran had not publicized plans to execute 800 protesters.
“The president and his team are closely monitoring the situation and all options remain on the table,” Leavitt says.
Asked to confirm a report that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had urged Trump in a call last night to hold off on striking Iran, Leavitt confirms that they spoke but declines to provide details on what was discussed.
The Times of Israel Community.