Iran reopens airspace after temporary closure as Trump steers away from military strikes and Tehran postpones executions

Iran reopened its airspace on Thursday morning, which was temporarily closed as Donald Trump was thought to steer clear of potential attacks on Tehran.

The closure lasted more than four hours, as the closure had expired and many domestic flights took off just after 7 a.m. local time.

As tensions remain high between the countries, Trump spoke cautiously after being told Iran had stopped executing protesters at a news conference in the Oval Office on Wednesday; This was a possible sign that pragmatists within the administration had successfully demonstrated that an attack was too risky.

“We have been told that the killings in Iran have stopped, stopped and stopped, that there are no executions or plans for executions,” the president told reporters.

The president’s allegations, made with little detail, come as protesting Iranians in recent days have been told that “help is on the way” and that his administration will “act accordingly” to respond to the Iranian government.

But Trump did not offer any details about how the United States might respond, and it was unclear whether his comments Wednesday indicated he would delay action.

While Trump appeared to retreat from his earlier red line, he signaled he could still order strikes against the Ayatollah’s regime, saying his administration was closely monitoring the bloody crackdown that left at least 2,500 protesters dead.

‘We will watch and see what the process is. But we’ve been given a very good explanation by people who know what’s going on,” Trump added when pressed on whether he would take military action against his Middle East rival.

As tensions remain high between the countries, Trump spoke cautiously after being told Iran had stopped executing protesters at an Oval Office press conference on Wednesday; This was a possible sign that pragmatists within the administration had successfully demonstrated that an attack was too risky

Anti-regime protests broke out across Iran, resulting in thousands of deaths.

He faced immediate backlash from anti-regime activists in X, who accused Trump of reneging on earlier promises to intervene militarily if protesters were harmed.

Angry anti-regime activists warned that Trump was “throwing all the protesters under the bus,” inferring that he was offering an exit ramp to Tehran.

“If you give Trump a TACO now, you’ll be throwing all the protesters under the #FreeIran bus,” wrote one user X after the press conference.

The TACO insult stands for ‘Trump Is Always Afraid’, coined by Wall Street traders last May after the president repeatedly fell out with tariffs.

The president has repeatedly threatened last week to intervene if protesters are harmed, and last night he promised ‘strong action’ if Iran proceeds with executions.

The Civil Aviation Organization of Iran initially issued Notification to Air Missions (NOTAM), which closed the airspace to all aircraft except for permitted international arrivals and departures. The notice, issued at 5:19 p.m. EST, is valid for more than two hours.

Flight radar data showed that very few aircraft were over Iran as the order went into effect. International carriers headed north and south around Iran, but after a period of extension the closure appeared to have expired.

The order comes amid rising tensions over the bloody crackdown on protesters during nationwide protests and the possibility of an American strike in response.

Flight tracking site FlightRadar24.com noted that the order closed Iranian airspace for just over two hours.

Trump mocked by anti-regime activists as he appears to backtrack from his red line on striking Iran

It was announced that 26-year-old Iranian protester Erfan Soltani will be the first victim to be executed

The president consulted with his national security team about next steps after telling reporters Tuesday that he believed the killing in Iran was “significant.”

The decision to close commercial airspace came after it was revealed that a 26-year-old shopkeeper would be the first protester to be hanged during the crackdown.

But in a sign that Tehran is backing down, Erfan Soltani’s family confirmed on Wednesday that he was not executed.

Soltani, a clothing store worker, was among thousands of Iranians arrested last week after nationwide protests sparked by economic distress turned into days of deadly anti-government unrest.

Sultani’s close relative, Somayeh, 45, who lives abroad and asked to be identified only by his first name for fear of government retaliation, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that his family was told his execution would be postponed until Wednesday, but it was postponed when they arrived at the prison in the city of Karaj, northwest of Tehran.

The relative said his family had spent the last six days agonizing over what might have happened to him and now they faced even more uncertainty.

Trump consulted with his national security team about next steps after telling reporters Tuesday that he believed the killing in Iran was “significant.”

Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and top officials on the White House National Security Council began meeting last Friday to develop options for Trump, ranging from a diplomatic approach to military strikes.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported that at least 2,586 people died in Iranian security forces’ crackdown on demonstrations.

Iranian authorities on Wednesday signaled that suspects detained in nationwide protests would face speedy trials and executions, while the Islamic Republic promised a “decisive response” if the United States or Israel intervened in the civil unrest.

The threats emerged after some personnel at a key US military base in Qatar were advised to evacuate on Wednesday evening.

Mohammad Pakpour, commander of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, repeated Iranian claims without providing evidence that the United States and Israel incited the protests and that they were the real killers of protesters and security forces who died in the chaos, according to Iran’s state news agency.

He added that these countries ‘will receive responses at the appropriate time’.

In a direct challenge to Trump earlier Wednesday, Iran’s judiciary chief called on the government to act quickly to punish 18,000 people detained during the protests.

Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei In the video shared online by Iranian state television, comments were made regarding speedy trials and executions.

‘If we want to do something, we have to do it now. “If we want to do something, we have to do it quickly,” he said. ‘Even if it is two or three months later, it does not have the same effect. If we want to do something, we have to do it fast.’