Trump Claims Iran Spares Eight Protesters' Lives, Denied

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on April 22, 2026, that Iran had agreed to spare the lives of eight women protesters facing execution, crediting his personal intervention amid heightened tensions between the two nations. The claim, posted on his Truth Social platform, came one day after Trump publicly appealed to Iranian leaders to halt the scheduled hangings as a gesture toward upcoming negotiations.

Trump described the development as "very good news," stating that he had been informed the women would no longer be killed. According to his post, four of the women would be released immediately, while the remaining four would receive one-month prison sentences. "I very much appreciate that Iran, and its leaders, respected my request, as President of the United States, and terminated the planned execution," he wrote. The announcement followed Trump's extension of a two-week ceasefire with Iran, which had been set to expire that day, after a request from Pakistani officials.

Iran's judiciary swiftly denied the assertions, labeling them "fake news" and insisting no executions had been planned. Officials from the judiciary's Mizan Online website stated that Trump had been...