Iran rejects execution claims as Trump threatens 'very strong action'

ISTANBUL

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday denied claims that authorities in his country planned to execute protesters following weeks of unrest.

"There is no any hanging, today or tomorrow ... I can tell you, I'm confident about that. There is no plan for hanging at all," Araghchi told US-based broadcaster Fox News in an interview.

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Washington would take “very strong action” if Iran carried out executions of protesters.

Trump and other US officials have escalated rhetoric against Iran amid the protests that have swept the country since late last month because of worsening economic conditions.

Araghchi also claimed that calm had been restored in Iran, with the government in "full control."

"We were faced with a vast terrorism operation as the continuation of the 12-day war that was imposed on us by Israelis and Americans.

"So the 13th day of war was Jan. 8 ... We were in the middle of the war, and now after three days of a terrorist operation, now there is call," he said

Iranian officials have accused the US and Israel of backing “riots” and “terrorism” amid the protests.

Rejecting reports of over 12,000 deaths during the protests as "baseless" and part of a "misinformation campaign," the minister insisted that the number of fatalities was in the "hundreds."

Asked how many protesters had been killed, Araghchi said an exact figure would be "announced very soon, perhaps tonight" by the Iranian government.

Authorities have so far not released official figures on casualties or detainees. The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), a US-based group, estimates that at least 2,500 people have been killed, including protesters and security personnel, with more than 1,100 injured.

The group also said more than 18,000 have been detained, though the figures have not been independently verified and differ from other estimates.