Iran tells Trump ‘we’ve stopped the executions’ as Ayatollah closes airspace & waits to see if Don will lau...
A US military strike on Iran is imminent, officials have warned, as the Ayatollah closes the territory’s airspace and claims executions have stopped.
A Western military official said: “All the signals are that a US attack is imminent.”
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But, they added, “that is also how this administration behaves to keep everyone on their toes”.
Earlier Iran told Trump no executions have taken place, in a desperate bid to avoid US strikes.
At the White House Trump said: “We’ve been told that the killing in Iran is stopping and it’s stopped, and there’s no plan for executions.”
The president did not rule out potential US military action, saying “we are going to watch what the process is”.
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The British embassy in Tehran has been temporarily closed less than 24 hours after the US urged its own citizens to leave.
A Government spokesperson said: “We have temporarily closed the British Embassy in Tehran, this will now operate remotely. Foreign Office travel advice has now been updated to reflect this consular change.”
American and British military personnel have begun withdrawing from key military bases across the Middle East as tensions escalate.
A US official said troops were pulled out in a precautionary measure amid rising fears US bases will be targeted if Trump decides to strike Iran.
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American, European and Israeli sources said preparations for military strikes were under way last night – and could come within hours after Trump vowed: “Help is on the way”.
The RAF’s operational headquarters in the Middle East is at Al Udeid, hosting around 80-100 permanent UK personnel.
Nuclear strikes, hacks & psychological warfare – Trump briefed on Iran attack plans as Russia holds urgent Tehran talks
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It also houses the headquarters for Britain’s No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group, of around 1,000 personnel across the Middle East region.
Tensions in Tehran are rapidly escalating with Iran looking set to execute protesters.
Iran’s top judge hinted at fast trials and executions for those who were detained in nationwide protests against the regime.
Irans judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, hinted at fast trials and executions for those detained in protests against the regime despite a warning from Trump that he would retaliate with very strong action.
A human rights group says that at least 3,428 have been killed in the regime’s crackdown on demonstrators.
But horrified protesters told The Sun yesterday that they fear the slaughter figure could top 20,000 after heavy machine guns blasted into crowds leaving morgues piled with bodies.
Meanwhile the US embassy in Saudi Arabia told its staff act with caution and avoid military installations.
Iran’s regime and its supporters appear to be trying all they can to rile up the US in a test to Trump’s resolve.
Iranian state TV goaded Trump by airing images of the 2024 assassination attempt when a bullet grazed his ear alongside the message: “This time, the bullet won’t miss.”
Chants of “death to America!” were also heard at the rallies.
Iranian officials have set up counter rallies to the ongoing protests across the country targeting the Ayatollah and his mad Mullahs.
For 17 days now, brave Iranians have taken to the streets to try and force out their tyrannical government.
Thousands have been met by power-hungry security forces who have been directed by the Ayatollah to stop the riots by any means necessary.
Protester Ali, a 47-year-old musician from the Ekbatan suburb or Tehran said one out of every four people he knows had either been injured, arrested or killed in recent days.
He told The Sun: “The streets of our neighborhood are covered with shotgun shell casings.
“Bodies have been deliberately piled on top of each other in hospitals, especially at Sina Hospital – it’s being done deliberately to torment and terrorise relatives.
“Families are sent from place to place to look for their children or loved ones.”
The Sun revealed yesterday that up to 12,000 people are feared to have been killed during the archaic crackdown which has included “military-grade” weapons.
Armed guards have even been directing the demonstrators into “killing zones” where fellow soldiers are patrolling, terrified medics told The Times.
Thousands have also been arrested for their protests.
Freedom fighter Erfan Soltani, 26, is due to be among the first executed following his arrest six days ago in Fardis, west of capital Tehran.
Gruesome public sentences were due to begin today to deter further unrest – by stringing up those convicted from cranes on the back of trucks.
So far there has been no official announcement that Soltani was executed today, a family member told Sky News.
But, they added that Soltani could still face execution at any time.
The Norwegian Hengaw Organization for Human Rights reported he was in the Qezel Hesar Prison “and the likelihood of his execution within hours is very high”.
Trump told CBS News on Tuesday: “When they start killing thousands of people, and now you’re telling me about hanging, we’ll see how that works out for them.
“It’s not going to work out good.”
Protesters pleaded with Trump to act today – as his top negotiator Steve Witkoff was revealed to have met exiled Iranian crown prince Reza Pahlavi in Washington.
Pahlavi wants to return to replace the mullahs with a monarchy which presides over democratic elections.
But protesters warned their momentum had stalled today and told The Sun it’s “now or never” to end 46 years of Islamist torment.
Britain must back freedom and stand with courageous rebels in Iran
THE SUN ON SUNDAY
YOU would think the attempts by thousands of freedom protesters to overthrow a brutal, murderous regime would warrant some serious support from any British government.
After all we are talking about a tyranny which has promoted terror across the globe and threatened the West with a far-reaching nuclear programme.
But, apart from Sir Keir Starmer’s mealy-mouthed joint European statement calling for “restraint”, the mass uprising against Iran’s blood-soaked supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been received by near- silence from the Labour hierarchy.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper seems to have lost her voice and the mass ranks of government MPs have hardly breathed a dicky bird.
Not a single Labour MP on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee has even so much as tweeted.
Compare that to the party’s fire and fury which blazed daily against Israel for its response to the worst antisemitic attack since the Holocaust.
Perhaps Labour fears upsetting its Muslim base?
The PM says Britain’s shared values include “common respect for freedom, democracy, liberty.’’
Yet for almost 50 years the monstrous mullahs of Iran have overseen a brutal Islamic Republic which uses lethal force against women who don’t wear head coverings.
They have obliterated the right to freedom of expression and anyone in a same-sex relationship could face the death penalty.
Donald Trump’s bold strike against the country’s nuclear programme last year dealt it a devastating political blow.
Now the crumbling economy could be the final nail in the coffin of 86-year-old Khamenei and his barbarous henchmen.
But as they see their powerbase crumbling, the regime’s leaders have arrested over 10,000 people and used military grade weapons against unarmed protesters.
It is time for the PM to show his principles count. He and his foreign secretary should throw their wholehearted support behind this uprising.
If Britain backs freedom, democracy and liberty it must stand united with the courageous rebels in Iran.
Trump’s fury at Tehran could soon result in US military operations in the Middle Eastern nation.
On Tuesday, Trump was briefed on attack plans to smash Iran from cyberattacks and psychological warfare to strikes on nuclear sites.
The US president said: “Make Iran great again, it was a great country until these monsters came in and took it over. And it’s all very fragile.”
Trump is likely to target Iran’s ballistic and nuclear missile sites in any planned attacks but could also directly strike the Ayatollah.
One Iranian who was able to send a message to loved ones pleaded: “Please help us. The situation here is horrific. It is a full-scale war.”
The UK Government said it is working with allies on further sanctions against the Iranian regime, the Prime Minister has said.
Speaking at the start of Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir Starmer said: “Can I start by condemning in the strongest possible terms the sickening repression and murder of protesters in Iran.
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“The contrast between the courage of the Iranian people and the brutality of their desperate regime has never been clearer.
“We’ve called out this brutality face to face, we’re working with allies on further sanctions and doing all we can to protect UK nationals.”
