Trump accused of 'fabricating' claim he saved eight Iranian women from execution
Iran claimed these women were never facing execution in the first place and that the US President is now trying to save face
President Donald Trump announced that Iran would release eight women facing execution as an act of respect for him.
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Meanwhile, officials in Tehran denied that the executions were planned and pointed the finger at the US President for spreading lies.
The President claimed that four of the eight women would be released immediately and four would be sentenced to one month in prison.
Writing on social media, he said: "I very much appreciate that Iran, and its leaders, respected my request, as President of the United States, and terminated the planned execution".
Iran has accused Trump of fabricating the matter in order to prevent further embarrassment on the world stage.
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This comes as the US faces increasing calls to resolve the conflict in the Middle East, while global markets struggle with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which is responsible for the safe passage of one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas.
"Trump's empty-handedness in the battlefield has pushed him towards fabricating achievements from false news," Mizan, the Iranian judiciary's news agency, said on Wednesday.
Tehran said the execution story was fabricated by anti-Iran groups, which it claimed Trump had “fallen for”.
On Wednesday, Mizan reiterated that Tehran had made no concessions.
"Last night, Donald Trump, citing a completely false news story, called on Iran to overturn the death sentences of eight women," Mizan said.
"However, despite the false claim being revealed last night, Trump claimed in another post a few minutes ago that the sentences of eight protesting women who were supposed to be executed in Iran tonight have been overturned and thanked Iran!"
The agency added that several women had already been released, and those facing charges may land in prison, but would not face execution.
