By DAN WOODLAND, NEWS REPORTER

Updated: 20:41 EST, 14 January 2026

Iran has seemingly bowed to pressure from the US after postponing the execution of a clothes shop owner who was due to hanged on Wednesday.

Erfan Soltani, 26, became the first protester in the latest Iranian uprising to be handed the death sentence after taking part in a protest on Thursday last week, with his family pleading for Donald Trump to intervene.

Responding to the sentence, Trump later warned the US would take ‘very strong action’ if the Iranian regime started executing captured protesters, adding: ‘If they hang them, you’re going to see something’. 

And now Tehran has seemingly heeded the President’s warning after Erfan’s family said his execution would no longer be carried out on Wednesday. 

But they warned the sentence had only been postponed and Erfan, who is being held in solitary confinement inside Ghezel Hesar prison, could face execution at any time.

Hours after the climbdown, Trump said had had been told ‘on good authority’ that plans for executions had stopped, even as Tehran has signaled fast trials and executions ahead in its crackdown on protesters.

More than 3,400 people have been killed by Iranian security forces since the outbreak of protests at the end of December, according to the human rights organisation Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO).

This liveblog has now closed. To recap on today’s events check below. 

Iran closes its airspace to flights

Iran has closed its airspace to all flights without permission, according Flightradar24.

The flight tracker said in a post on X that the country has issued a notice stating the airspace would be closed for ‘a little more than 2 hours’.

Air India flights ‘using alternative routing’ over Iran airspace

Air India has said its flights will be using ‘an alternative routing, which may lead to delays’ after Iran announced it would be closing its airspace for around two hours.

The company wrote on X:

Due to the emerging situation in Iran, the subsequent closure of its airspace, and in view of the safety of our passengers, Air India flights overflying the region are now using an alternative routing, which may lead to delays. Some Air India flights where currently rerouting is not possible are being cancelled.

Data from Flightradar24 shows that one flight from Delhi to New York was forced to turn around mid air as a result of the airspace closure.

US embassy in Qatar issues security alert

The US Embassy in Doha has advised its personnel, as well as Americans in Qatar, to exercise ‘increased caution’ amid the ongoing tensions.

It has urged people to limit non-essential travel to Al Udeid Airbase as it continues to monitor the situation in Iran, which is situated just across the Persian Gulf.

Earlier on Wednesday, officials revealed they were reducing the number of US and UK personnel at the airbase as a ‘precautionary measure’.

‘No plan for hangings’, says Iran Foreign ‌Minister

Iranian Foreign ‌Minister Abbas Araqchi has said ‘there is no plan’ ​by Iran to hang ​people, when ​asked about the anti-government ⁠protests in the Middle Eastern ​nation.

‘There is ‍no ​plan for hanging. Hanging is ⁠out of the question,; the foreign minister told Fox News ‍in ‍an interview this evening.

According ⁠to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights Society, hangings are common ‍in ⁠Iranian prisons.

Araqchi also insisted that 10 days of peaceful demonstrations over Iran’s economic hardships were followed by three days of violence orchestrated by Israel, and calm had been restored.

Amnesty urges UN to take ‘immediate action’ against Iran

Amnesty International has urged the UN to take ‘immediate action’ after claiming ‘mass unlawful killings’ are being committed on an ‘unprecedented’ scale in Iran amid the ongoing protests.

The human rights organisation said it has gathered evidence showing security forces armed with ‘rifles and shotguns loaded with metal pellets’ targeting unarmed protesters in their ‘heads and torsos’ – in some cases resulting in fatalities.

It claims to have analysed dozens of videos and images, as well as texts and voice recordings, all of which point to a ‘coordinated nationwide escalation in the security forces’ unlawful use of lethal force against mostly peaceful protesters’.

One account, supposedly shared by a journalist in Tehran, read:

Tell the world that unspeakable crimes are being committed in Iran… Tell the world that if they do nothing, they [authorities] will turn the country into a graveyard.

Responding to the findings, Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard said:

This spiral of bloodshed and impunity must end. Even by the Iranian authorities’ own bleak record of committing gross human rights violations and crimes under international law during successive waves of protests, the severity and scale of killings and repression since 8 January is unprecedented,As large sectors of Iranian society flooded the streets braving bullets, Iran’s Supreme Leader and security forces have waged their deadliest crackdown yet. The authorities have deliberately turned to mass killings of protesters who have been demanding fundamental change and transition from the Islamic Republic system to a new system of government which respects peoples’ human rights and dignity.The international community must take urgent diplomatic action to protect protesters from further massacres and confront the impunity that is driving the state policy of bloodshed.Pictures: Rallies in solidarity with Iran take place across Europe

Amsterdam, Netherlands:

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS â" JANUARY 14: People gather at Dam Square in Amsterdam during a solidarity rally for Iran on January 14, 2026. The demonstration comes amid ongoing unrest in Iran, where protests have continued in response to political repression and worsening living conditions. Participants carried flags, held signs and chanted slogans calling for freedom and accountability, as concerns persist over reported casualties and arrests linked to the unrest. (Photo by Mouneb Taim/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Berlin, Germany:

Protesters participate in a demonstration in support of the nationwide mass protests in Iran against the government, in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Holon, Israel:

Demonstrators wave pre-revolution Iran flag, Israeli flag and posters of Iran's exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi during a rally in support of Iran's anti-government protests, in Holon, Israel Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

London, England:

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 14: Protesters hold up flags outside the Iranian Embassy on January 14, 2026 in London, England. On Tuesday Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper announced "full and further sanctions" against Iran in reaction to the regime's violent crackdown on demonstrations that have killed more than 2,500 protesters, according to HRANA, an Iranian human rights organization and news agency. The UK Foreign Office also summoned the Iranian ambassador, Seyed Ali Mousavi, over "horrific reports" of violence by Iranian authorities. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)Planes avoiding Iran airspace

Further to our last post, flight tracking data now shows that planes are avoiding entering Iran airspace.

Images from Flightradar24 show just four commercial planes flying over the country, while dozens more can be seen circling around it.

There also appear to be a number of flights that have turned around since Iran announced it would be closing its airspace for around 2 hours.

Germany cautions airlines entering Iran airspace

Germany has issued a new directive cautioning the country’s airlines from ‌entering Iranian airspace, Flightradar24 said on a post on X.

German airliner Lufthansa announced earlier that it had rejigged its flight operations across the Middle East amid escalating tensions in the region.

The company said on Wednesday that it would ​bypass Iranian and Iraqi airspace until further notice while it ​would only operate day flights to ​Tel Aviv and Amman from Wednesday until Monday next week.

Some flights could also be canceled as a result ⁠of these actions, it added in a statement.

Executions will not stop, Kurdistan National Army says

A spokesperson for the Kurdistan National Army, a separatist group in Iran, told The Times that executions in Iran will continue in private.

‘They will not stop executions for a single minute,’ the spokesperson said.

‘This is one example of a trial and execution: [the chief justice of Iran, Gholam-Hossein] Mohseni-Ejei subsequently demanded that everyone who has been arrested be executed and killed.

‘The difference with these types of executions is that they are carried out silently in basements. Unlike before, they do not bring them out in public.’

British embassy in Tehran closed

The British embassy in Tehran has been temporarily closed, the government announced on Wednesday.

‘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,’ a government spokesperson said.

Britain’s ambassador and all consular staff were evacuated based on a security assessment and a decision to prioritize staff safety, an official told Reuters.

Trump undecided on military action in Iran

When asked in military action in Iran was still on the table, Donald Trump told reporters he is monitoring the situation.

‘We’re going to watch and see what the process is, but we were given a very good, very good statement by people that are aware of what’s going on,’ Trump said.

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RECAP: Tehran blinks first: Iran postpones execution of clothes shop owner, 26, after Trump threatened Mullahs with ‘strong’ response… as Iranian airspace is closed amid fears of US strikes