Iran looks to fast-track executions as activists say death toll in protests now more than 2,500

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Iranian officials signaled Wednesday that fast trials and executions lay ahead for suspects detained in nationwide protests, while the Islamic Republic promised retaliation if the U.S. or Israel intervenes in the domestic unrest.

The threats emerged as some personnel at a key U.S. military base in Qatar were advised to evacuate, even as U.S. President Donald Trump made a series of vague statements that left unclear what American action, if any, would take place against Iran.

Iran shut its airspace to commercial flights early Thursday morning for several hours, without explanation. The notice to pilots said the closure was estimated to end at 7:30 a.m. Flight-tracking website FlightRadar24.com show aircraft flying around Iran from its north and south.

In comments to reporters, Trump said he had been told that plans for executions in Iran have stopped, without providing many details. The shift comes a day after Trump told protesters in Iran that “help is on the way” and that his administration would “act accordingly” to respond to the Islamic Republic’s deadly crackdown.

“We’ve been told that the killing in Iran is stopping -- it’s stopped -- it’s stopping,” Trump said at the White House while signing executive orders and legislation. “And there’s no plan for executions, or an execution, or executions -- so I’ve been told that on good authority.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also sought to tone down the rhetoric, urging the U.S. to find a solution through negotiation.

Asked by Fox News what he would say to Trump, Araghchi said: “My message is: Between war and diplomacy, diplomacy is a better way, although we don’t have any positive experience from the United States. But still diplomacy is much better than war.”

The change in tone by the U.S. and Iran came hours after the chief of the Iranian judiciary said the government must act quickly to punish the thousands who have been detained.

Activists warned that hangings of detainees could come soon. The security forces’ crackdown on the demonstrations has killed at least 2,615, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported. The death toll exceeds that of any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Currency collapse sparked demonstrations

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions levied in part over its nuclear program.

Trump has repeatedly warned about potential U.S. military action over the killing of peaceful protesters, just months after American forces bombed Iranian nuclear sites during the 12-day Iran-Israel war in June.

In other developments Wednesday, a mass funeral was held for some 100 security force members killed in the demonstrations. Tens of thousands of mourners attended, holding Iranian flags and photos of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The caskets, draped in Iranian flags, were stacked at least three high. Red and white roses and framed photographs of the dead covered them.

People elsewhere remained fearful in the streets. Plainclothes security forces still milled around some neighborhoods, though anti-riot police and members of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard’s all-volunteer Basij force appeared to have been sent back to their barracks.

“We are very frightened because of these sounds (of gunfire) and protests,” said a mother of two shopping for fruits and vegetables, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. “We have heard many are killed and many are injured. Now peace has been restored, but schools are closed, and I’m scared to send my children to school again.”

Ahmadreza Tavakoli, 36, told The Associated Press he witnessed one demonstration in Tehran and was shocked by the use of firearms by authorities.

“People were out to express themselves and protest, but quickly it turned into a war zone,” Tavakoli said. “The people do not have guns. Only the security forces have guns.”

`We have to do it quickly’

Earlier Wednesday, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, Iran’s judiciary chief, said the government should press ahead with rapid trials and executions.

“If we want to do a job, we should do it now. If we want to do something, we have to do it quickly,” he said in a video shared by Iranian state television online. “If it becomes late, two months, three months later, it doesn’t have the same effect. If we want to do something, we have to do that fast.”

The comments stand as a direct challenge to Trump, who warned Iran about executions in an interview with CBS aired Tuesday.

“If they do such a thing, we will take very strong action,” Trump said.

“We don’t want to see what’s happening in Iran happen. And you know, if they want to have protests, that’s one thing. When they start killing thousands of people, and now you’re telling me about hanging -- we’ll see how that works out for them. It’s not going to work out good.”

One Arab Gulf diplomat told the AP that major Mideast governments had been discouraging the Trump administration from launching a war with Iran, fearing “unprecedented consequences” for the region that could explode into a “full-blown war.” The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak to journalists.

Satellite internet service offer

Iran’s government cut off the country from the internet and international telephone calls on Jan. 8.

Activists said Wednesday that Starlink was offering free service in Iran. The satellite internet service has been key in getting around the internet shutdown. Iran began allowing people to call out internationally on Tuesday via mobile phones, but calls from people outside the country into Iran remain blocked.

“We can confirm that the free subscription for Starlink terminals is fully functional,” said Mehdi Yahyanejad, a Los Angeles-based activist who has helped get the units into Iran. “We tested it using a newly activated Starlink terminal inside Iran.”

Starlink itself did not immediately acknowledge the decision.

Security service personnel apparently were searching for Starlink dishes, as people in northern Tehran reported authorities raiding apartment buildings with satellite dishes. While satellite television dishes are illegal, many in the capital have them in homes, and officials broadly gave up on enforcing the law in recent years.

Death toll continues to rise

The Human Rights Activists News Agency said 2,615 of the dead were protesters and 153 were government-affiliated. Thirteen children were killed, along with 14 civilians it said were not taking part in protests.

More than 18,400 people have been detained, the group said.

Gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult, and the AP has been unable to independently assess the toll given the communications being disrupted in the country.

By Jon Gambrell And Farnoush Amiri.

Amiri reported from New York. Associated Press writers Melanie Lidman in Jerusalem and Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed to this report.