Iran has issued a threat to carry out mass executions of protesters who have been detained during the country's severe repression of the protests opposing its tyrannical rule. The Iranian authorities also warned the United States that any military presence in the region would lead to "full-scale war".
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said that the murders are the result of "terrorists and rioters associated with the United States and Israel", and the Iranian judiciary referred to the murders as "Mohareb" on Sunday.
The term "Mohareb" is an Islamic legal term which means "to wage war against God" and is subject to punishment by execution according to Islamic law in Iran.
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"A series of actions have been identified as Mohareb, which is among the most severe Islamic punishments," said Asghar Jahangir, a spokesman for Iran's judiciary, at a press conference.
"All those who played a decisive role in these calls for violence, which led to bloodshed and significant damage to public finances, will not be spared," Jahangir added.
Threat comes days after Trump thanks Iran for halting executions
These statements come just days after US President Donald Trump thanked the Iranian authorities on Truth Social for halting the execution of more than 800 protesters. "I greatly respect the fact that they cancelled," Trump had said.
Among the protesters was Erfan Soltani, 26, who was arrested on January 8 and only given 10 minutes to say goodbye to his family before he was taken away for imprisonment. Erfan Soltani's family member stated on Sunday that the 26-year-old was in good health and was able to meet with his family days after his planned execution was postponed.
Meanwhile, The Times of Israel stated that the US Armed Forces were awaiting a "green light" from President Donald Trump to launch military action against Iran last week. However, he decided not to take any action due to intense political pressure from both Israel and several Arab League member states.
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Iran's warning
In a post on social media on Sunday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that there will be "harsh and regrettable" repercussions from Iran for any "unjust aggression", while also warning that an attack on Khamenei would constitute an "all-out war" against the nation.
Earlier, Trump had stated that his decision to postpone military action against Iran was largely based on Iran's recent announcement suspending executions.
