Donald Trump claimed on Wednesday that "the killings" in Iran had "ended" after the authorities cracked down on protests, but remained vague about a possible US military intervention, indicating that Washington would be closely monitoring the situation.

"We have been briefed by very important sources on the other side, and they have said that the killings have stopped," the US president said at a White House event, adding that these same sources had stated that the planned executions of protesters would ultimately "not take place."

When asked by an AFP journalist whether a US military intervention was now ruled out, Donald Trump replied: "We'll observe this and see what happens next."

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, for his part, stated that there would be "no hanging today (Wednesday) or tomorrow (Thursday)" in an interview with the American channel Fox News.

"Any individual present in the streets since January 8 is undoubtedly considered a criminal," Justice Minister Amin Hossein Rahimi told media on Wednesday.

According to the Norway-based NGO Hengaw, the execution of a 26-year-old Iranian man arrested during the protests, Erfan Soltani, scheduled for Wednesday, has been postponed but his life remains in danger.

The American president has repeatedly threatened military intervention to end the repression of the protest movement, one of the largest since the proclamation of the Islamic Republic in 1979.

Human rights defenders accuse the Shiite theocracy of carrying out a brutal crackdown behind closed doors, in a country of nearly 86 million inhabitants cut off from the internet for almost a week by order of the authorities.

According to the latest figures from the NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR), also based in Norway, at least 3,428 protesters have been killed since the start of the movement on December 28. "This figure is an absolute minimum," warns the organization, which also reports more than 10,000 arrests.

The United Nations Security Council plans to meet on Thursday, at the request of the United States, for "a briefing on the situation in Iran," a spokesman for the Somali presidency announced.

Trial

After a peak in protests at the end of last week, authorities attempted to regain control of the streets by organizing a "national resistance march" and the funerals of more than 100 members of the security forces and other "martyrs" killed.

Banners proclaiming "death to America" and photos of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, emerged from the crowd, according to an AFP journalist, as well as a photo showing Donald Trump, his face bloodied, during an assassination attempt he survived in 2024, with the caption: "This time he won't miss his target."

According to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, "calm reigns" now in the country, and the authorities have "total control" of the situation.

While the minister said Tehran was open to diplomacy, other officials hardened their tone on Wednesday towards the United States and Israel.

Iran is ready to respond "decisively" to any attack, warned the head of the Revolutionary Guard, Mohammad Pakpour.

In response to these "regional tensions", Qatar announced the departure of some personnel from the American base at Al-Udeid, the largest in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom announced that it had "temporarily closed" its embassy in Tehran, while Spain and India called on their citizens to leave Iran.

In Tehran, the judiciary has promised "swift" and "public" trials.

"Any society can expect protests, but we will not tolerate violence," a government official insisted to a few journalists on Wednesday, stating that no new "riots" had taken place since Monday.

Internet down

"Iran has never seen such a level of destruction," the army chief of staff, Abdolrahim Mousavi, had said earlier, referring to the acts of violence that occurred during the demonstrations.

Authorities are not providing an official death toll at this stage, as the identification of victims is still underway, another senior official said.

Before Donald Trump's remarks, human rights advocates had expressed concern about potential summary executions.

The internet remained down across the country on Wednesday, for the seventh consecutive day, hindering access to information. Telephone communications remained limited.

The repression could be "the most violent" in the country's contemporary history, lamented French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on Wednesday, urging authorities to put an end to it "immediately".