Iran closed its airspace to almost all flights early on Thursday, and Lufthansa said its flights would avoid Iranian and Iraqi airspace “until further notice”. The group, which includes Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Discover Airlines, Eurowings, Swiss and ITA Airways, said in a statement that some flights could be cancelled.
In contrast to indications of an imminent US strike on Iran, Donald Trump said he had been told that “the killing in Iran is stopping”. He added: “There’s no plan for executions, or an execution, or executions – so I’ve been told that on good authority.” Earlier, reports suggested the US president had decided on military action but it was unclear what form it might take. On Wednesday night, Trump said: “We’re going to watch and see what the process is,” adding that he’s been given “a very good statement by people that are aware of what’s going on”.
Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, told Fox News “there is no plan” by Iran to execute people in retaliation for the anti-government protests. “Hanging is out of the question,” he said.
The family of Erfan Soltani, the first Iranian protester sentenced to death since the current unrest began, have been told his execution has been postponed.
Some US and UK personnel have been evacuated as a precaution from sites in the Middle East. The British embassy in Tehran has also been temporarily closed.
Spain, Italy and Poland advised their citizens to leave Iran. It follows a call by the US urging its citizens to leave Iran, suggesting land routes to Turkey or Armenia.
Araghchi insisted the situation was “under control,” and urged the US to engage in diplomacy. “Now there’s calm. We have everything under control, and let’s hope that wisdom prevails and we don’t end up in a situation of high tension that would be catastrophic for everyone,” Araghchi said.
The death toll in Iran from the regime’s crackdown stands at 2,571 people, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists news agency (HRANA). More than 18,100 have been arrested, it said.
Foreign ministers from the G7 group said they were “prepared to impose additional restrictive measures” on Iran over its handling of the protests, and the “deliberate use of violence, the killing of protesters, arbitrary detention and intimidation tactics”.
