Earlier this week, rights organization Hengaw reported that 26-year-old Essam Soltani, arrested in connection with protests in the city of Karaj, was due to be executed on Wednesday.
However, on Thursday Iranian state media said that while Soltani was being charged with “colluding against the country’s internal security and propaganda activities against the regime,” the death penalty does not apply to such charges if they are confirmed by a court.
Iran and its Western foes have both described the unrest as the most violent since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that installed Iran’s system of Shi’ite clerical rule.
Iranian authorities said the demonstrations turned from legitimate protest at economic grievances into unrest fomented by its foreign enemies, accusing people it described as terrorists of attacking the security forces and public property.
In a fragmented Iranian opposition, Pahlavi has emerged as a prominent voice during the unrest. The U.S.-based Pahlavi, 65, has lived outside Iran since before his father, the last Shah of Iran, was toppled.
“He seems very nice, but I don’t know how he’d play within his own country,” Trump told Reuters. “And we really aren’t up to that point yet.
“I don’t know whether or not his country would accept his leadership, and certainly if they would, that would be fine with me.”
