President Donald Trump faces fury over his dramatic plea to Iran to release eight women facing execution or face consequences for upcoming negotiations. The US leader's public appeal on Truth Social has drawn sharp criticism from opponents and human rights groups, who question both its timing and its reliance on activist reports.
The intervention comes as Washington and Tehran edge towards talks amid afragile regional ceasefire.
In apost on Tuesday, Mr Trump shared images of the eight women and issued a direct call to Iranian leaders. 'To the Iranian leaders, who will soon be in negotiations with my representatives: I would greatly appreciate the release of these women. Please do them no harm! Would be a great start to our negotiations!!!' he wrote.
The women, arrested during January's anti-regime protests, include Panah Movahedi, Bita Hemmati, Mahboubeh Shabani, Ensieh Nejati, Ghazal Ghalandari, Diana Taherabadi, Golnaz Naraghi and Venus Hosseininejad. Rights groups had raised alarms that they were slated for execution by hanging, though confirmation existed for only one or two cases.
The plea has been hailed by supporters as bold leadership but criticised by others as overly theatrical and potentially counterproductive. Some analysts suggest it risks hardening Tehran's stance ahead of sensitive discussions. The episode has reignited debate about the effectiveness of Mr Trump's personal diplomacy style in dealing with authoritarian regimes.
Tehran's judiciary swiftly denied the allegations, stating that Mr Trump had been 'misled once again by fake news' in a Mizan Online website. Officials insisted the eight women were not facing execution and that some had already been freed, with others likely to receive short prison sentences if convicted. No death penalties had been finalised for the group, the statement emphasised.
Nevertheless, on WednesdayMr Trump declareda victory. 'Very good news! I have just been informed that the eight women protestors who were going to be executed tonight in Iran will no longer be killed. Four will be released immediately, and four will be sentenced to one month in prison,' his Truth Social update read. He expressed appreciation that Iran's leaders had respected his request.
The conflicting accounts have left observers uncertain about the true status of the women. Human rights organisations have welcomed any pause in proceedings but stressed that Iran continues to carry out executions at a high rate, urging sustained international scrutiny.
The backlash has been swift, withcritics accusing Mr Trump of grandstanding and spreading unverified claims. The dramatic nature of the plea, tied explicitly to negotiations, has been labelled naive by some diplomats.
Verified social media accounts have amplified the story. AnInstagram postfrom the India Today account noted that Mr Trump had intervened personally, describing the announcement as positive news while acknowledging Iran's dispute. Similarly,Al Jazeera'sverified Instagram highlighted the judiciary's rejection of the execution claims.
Source: International Business Times UK
