Protester Erfan Soltani has not been sentenced to death, Iran’s regime says

Soltani, 26, was due to be the first person sentenced to death after taking part in anti-government protests, which has seen more than 2,000 people killed.

But the authorities have told state media that the clothes shop owner is currently being held ​in the central penitentiary of Karaj on charges that do not carry the death penalty.

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Iran's judiciary said the protestor has been charged with "colluding against the country's internal security and ‌propaganda activities against ⁠the regime"

A human rights group previously warned that Soltani had been sentenced to death and was expected to be executed on Wednesday.

However, the protestor's family told Sky News this would not go ahead, but said they still fear the execution could happen at any time.

President Trump has repeatedly threatened Iran with action if it executes protesters.

But the US leader appeared to step back from military intervention on Wednesday, after he said he had "good authority" that the killing of protestors had "stopped" and the regime had axed planned executions.

He also claimed that the protests could lead to the fall of the Iranian regime, which has been in place since the revolution of 1979.

"Any regime can fail," he said, adding: "Whether or not it falls or not, it's going to be an interesting period of time."

Activists from a human rights group monitoring the protests say 2,615 people have now been killed in the unrest, the vast majority of whom were demonstrators.

The figure dwarfs the toll from any other round of protest or unrest seen in Iran in decades.

But this number was dismissed by the country's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, who claimed that "only hundreds" had died.

"Those, you know, claims are baseless," he said.

"There is no proof of that. The number of deaths... are only hundreds... I certainly deny the numbers and figures they have said. It is an exaggeration. It is a misinformation campaign."

Trump's latest remarks seemed to signal a step back from military intervention in Iran, but Western military officials still believe a strike is imminent.

Iran closed its airspace to all flights without permission last night for several hours, while the a UK Government spokesperson confirmed the British embassy in Tehran had closed.

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."

The US also withdrew personnel from a key base in the Middle East as a precaution, with troops also pulled from multiple bases in the region.

The evacuation came after an Iranian official said Tehran would target US military bases in the region in retaliation for any strikes from Washington.

Iran also issued a chilling death threat to Trump on live television on Wedensday.

The Islamic Republic’s state broadcaster aired footage of the US President assassination attempt he survived in 2024.

Accompanying the footage of a bloodied Mr Trump, a Persian message displayed on screen read: “This time it will not miss the target.”

Mr Trump narrowly escaped death during the campaign rally event in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024, when gunman Thomas Crooks’ bullet grazed his ear.

As Iran entered its seventh day without the internet, it seemingly broke the blackout to issue the chilling threat.

If the US does intervene, Trump is said to want "swift and decisive" action, with a source telling NBC that the president is seeking to avoid any prolonged and dragged-out conflict.

The source, who is close to the White House, said the US president is ready and willing to follow through on his promise to protesters in the country to intervene.