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Donald Trump said he had received assurances that Iran had “stopped” killing protesters, delivering a more measured tone towards Tehran even as he did not rule out US military action.
The president’s comments came on Wednesday after the US began evacuating some personnel from its largest military base in the region, as the possibility of a US strike on Iran raised fears across the Middle East of a wider conflict.
“We’ve been told that the killing in Iran is stopping, and it’s stopped. It’s stopping, and there’s no plan for executions, or an execution,” Trump said in the Oval Office, referring to plans for the Iranian regime to begin executing arrested protesters. He did not specify the source of his information.
Asked if US military intervention was off the table, he said “we’re going to watch and see what the process is. But we were given a very good statement by people that are aware of what’s going on,” adding that he hoped it is “true” that the executions had been halted.
“That’s a big thing,” Trump said, adding that he would “find out more” later on Wednesday.
The president’s remarks eased market concerns that a US attack on Iran was imminent, pushing oil prices lower. Brent crude, the international benchmark, fell 4 per cent to $63.78 a barrel in New York trading on Wednesday afternoon.
Trump’s remarks came amid growing concerns that instability in Iran could spill into neighbouring countries if he follows through on his pledges to intervene in support of the anti-regime demonstrations that have swept the Islamic Republic since December.
A US official on Wednesday said “some people” were leaving Al Udeid air base, Washington’s regional military command centre, which hosts about 10,000 troops.
Tehran previously targeted Al Udeid with a missile barrage after the US bombed its nuclear facilities during Israel’s 12-day war against Iran in June. The UK also evacuated some personnel from the base, and temporarily closed its embassy in Tehran.
Iran’s neighbours have stepped up mediation efforts in recent days and Iranian officials have held talks with countries including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey, all of which host significant American military bases.
A Gulf official said the US was also moving air force assets out of the region in an apparent effort “to avoid being within range” if Iran was to retaliate in the event of an American strike.
US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, declined to comment.
Human rights groups estimate thousands have been killed in the demonstrations in Iran, which have escalated into the most severe anti-regime unrest since the Islamic revolution in 1979.
Trump on Tuesday appeared to suggest US action in the country was imminent, posting on his Truth Social platform that “HELP IS ON ITS WAY”. He added he had scrapped all meetings with Iranian officials until the “senseless killing of protesters” ended and would “take very strong action” if the regime executed people detained during the unrest.
An Iranian official said Tehran was monitoring developments at Al Udeid and was ready to take “retaliatory measures”.
He added diplomacy by Qatar or any other country was meaningless under the circumstances, claiming the US “is not serious” about negotiations.
The Iranian official urged regional states “not to allow their territory to be used for aggression by one country against another”.
The US has fewer military assets in the region since it struck Iran’s nuclear sites in June, with fewer than 40,000 troops spread across bases and ships.
Washington also does not have an aircraft carrier nearby after sending the Gerald R Ford carrier strike group from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean late last year. But it does have six warships in the region, including three guided-missile destroyers, two in the Gulf and one in the Red Sea.
Gulf officials have insisted they would refuse any US request for their territory to be used in a strike against Iran.
Saudi Arabia and its Gulf neighbours prefer a weakened Iran, despite a détente with the Islamic republic in recent years, but they remain concerned about the destabilising impact of American intervention.
Regional officials fear any action by Washington targeting the regime, rather than its nuclear facilities, as during last June’s strikes, could spark a severe Iranian response.
Additional reporting by Simeon Kerr and Najmeh Bozorgmehr