President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Iran will no longer execute eight women linked to anti-regime protests after calling for their release a day earlier.
“Very good news! I just learned that the eight female protesters scheduled to be executed in Iran tonight will no longer be killed,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Four of the women will reportedly be released immediately, while the remaining four will serve a one-month prison sentence.
The president thanked Iran for halting the executions, saying, “I very much appreciate that Iran and its leaders have respected my request.”
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President Donald Trump addresses the media on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 16, 2026. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Trump said earlier on social media on Tuesday that releasing the women could work to Iran’s advantage during negotiations scheduled for later that day, as he ultimately announced a two-week extension of a ceasefire.
“To the Iranian leaders who will soon be negotiating with my representatives: I would greatly appreciate the release of these women,” Trump said on Tuesday in response to an activist’s call. after on X with photos of eight unknown women.
“I’m sure they will respect the fact that you did that. Please don’t hurt them! Would be a good start to our negotiations!!!”
However, Iran’s judiciary quickly responded to Trump’s claims and denied that the women would ever be executed. according to to the Middle East-focused media outlet New Arab.
“Trump was once again misled by fake news,” the judiciary’s official Mizan Online website said. “Of the women alleged to be on the verge of execution, some of them have been released, while others face charges that, if the convictions are upheld, would result in a prison sentence at most.”
IRAN executes first female protester linked to anti-regime unrest
Iranians attend an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, on January 9, 2026. (UGC/AP)
According to human rights groups, Iran last week reportedly planned the execution of a female protester linked to the January uprising, in what would be Tehran’s first public death penalty case involving a woman.
She was identified as Bita Hemmati and is among eight women who Trump says will no longer face the death penalty.
Hemmati was originally convicted in a collective case along with her husband and neighbors, Iran’s National Council of Resistance said.
On January 8 and 9, the group reportedly threw objects such as concrete blocks and incendiary materials from roofs, injured security forces and engaged in anti-regime “propaganda” in an attempt to undermine security, federal authorities said.
Protesters light a fire in the middle of the street during an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, on January 9, 2026. (UGC/AP)
One Iranian journalist reported the identities of the other women in one after on X, claiming that the defendants are only 16 years old.
One victim in particular, identified as Mahboubeh Shabani, 33, was accused of providing aid to protesters injured during the January uprising. according to to Norway-based rights group Hengaw.
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The women’s statements are among the latest in a series of punishments handed down as part of the government’s broader crackdown on dissent.
Rights groups say thousands of protesters may have been killed since demonstrations broke out earlier this year.
