Trump threatens Iran with crushing response as Tehran denies halting protest executions

By Fox News · Fox News

Iran’s top prosecutor Thursday denied President Donald Trump ’s claim that Tehran, Iran, halted mass executions of imprisoned protesters under U.S. pressure — a rebuttal that comes as Trump openly warned Iran it would face consequences more severe than recent U.S. strikes on its nuclear facilities if the executions went forward. Trump has said he pulled back from threats to intervene militarily after Iran agreed to stop the execution of as many as 800 detained demonstrators following days of anti-regime unrest. "This claim is completely false, no such number exists, nor has the judiciary made any such decision," Mohammad Movahedi was quoted by Iranian state media as saying Friday. "We have a separation of powers, the responsibilities of each institution are clearly defined, and we do not, under any circumstances, take instructions from foreign powers," he added. IRAN STRIKES COULD SIGNAL LIMITS OF BEIJING, MOSCOW’S POWER AS US FLEXES STRENGTH Movahedi is an Iranian cleric and judge who serves as the nation's prosecutor general. He previously warned that those taking part in the protests were "enemies of God," a crime punishable by death. Iran's mission to the United Nations declined to comment on the discrepancy between Trump and Movahedi's claims. For News Digital also reached out to the State Department for more details and has not yet received a response. A White House official said Trump "is watching the situation in Iran very seriously and all options are on the table if the regime executes protesters." The official declined to say where Trump had learned executions were being halted but added: "As a result of President Trump’s warnings, Iranian protesters who were scheduled to be sentenced to death were not. As President Trump stated, he thinks this is good news and hopes this trend continues." The denial reopens questions raised in the past week, when Trump publicly warned Iran and encouraged protesters by saying "help is on its way," setting expectations of…