White House says Iran halted 800 planned executions amid protests

The White House said Thursday that Iranian authorities had "halted" 800 scheduled executions amid weeks of protests, adding that Washington is "closely monitoring" the situation.

"The president understands today that 800 executions that were scheduled and supposed to take place yesterday were halted," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

Leavitt said the administration of US President Donald Trump continued to assess developments related to Iran and signaled that further steps remain possible.

"The president and his team are closely monitoring this situation and all options remain on the table for the president," Leavitt said.

Trump has repeatedly vowed to back protesters in Iran, where a crackdown by authorities is said to have resulted in thousands of casualties. He said this week that Washington would take "very strong action" if Iran carried out executions of protesters.

Iranian officials have accused the US and Israel of backing "riots" and "terrorism" in the protests.

Iranian authorities have not released official figures on casualties or detainees. The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), a US-based group, estimates that over 2,600 people have been killed, including protesters and security personnel.