Iranian authorities have released detained protester Erfan Soltania on bail, his lawyer confirmed on Sunday, in a move that comes amid heightened tensions with the United States over Tehran’s crackdown on anti-government demonstrations.
Soltani’s release followed strong warnings from Washington, which claimed the 26-year-old protester was on death row and threatened military action against Iran should any demonstrators be executed. Tehran has repeatedly denied that Soltani was sentenced to death, insisting that the charges against him do not carry the death penalty.
The development comes against the backdrop of a deadly state response to nationwide protests, prompting US President Donald Trump to issue stern warnings and order the deployment of an aircraft carrier group to the Middle East. Trump has openly threatened military action, raising fears of a wider regional confrontation.
On Sunday, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, likened the recent protests to an attempted coup and cautioned that any US attack would spark a broader conflict across the region.
“The Americans should know that if they start a war, this time it will be a regional war,” Khamenei said, urging Iranians that they “should not be scared” by Trump’s rhetoric.
Describing the unrest, the Iranian leader added: “They (rioters) attacked the police, government centres, IRGC centres, banks, and mosques, and burned the Koran… It was like a coup,” stressing that “the coup was suppressed.”
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The demonstrations, which initially erupted over Iran’s worsening cost-of-living crisis, later evolved into a large-scale anti-government movement. Iranian authorities have consistently dismissed the protests as “riots,” accusing the United States and Israel of fuelling the unrest.
Despite the hardline stance, authorities ordered Soltani’s release on bail after his January arrest on charges of propaganda against Iran’s Islamic system and acting against national security, according to the judiciary. Washington had warned that he faced imminent execution, a claim Iranian officials rejected.
Speaking to CNN on Sunday, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, said he was worried about potential “miscalculations” amid the rising tensions but expressed confidence in Trump’s judgment.
“I believe Trump is wise enough to make the correct decision,” Araghchi said, adding that Iran has lost trust in the United States as a negotiating partner. He noted, however, that some regional countries were acting as intermediaries to rebuild confidence.
“So I see the possibility of another talk if the US negotiation team follows what president Trump said: to come to a fair and equitable deal to ensure that there is no nuclear weapons,” he added.
Iranian authorities have acknowledged thousands of deaths during the protests. On Sunday, the presidency published a list of 2,986 names out of the 3,117 people it said were killed in the unrest, noting that 131 victims had yet to be identified.
Officials insist that most of those killed were members of the security forces or innocent bystanders, blaming the violence on “terrorist acts.” However, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) disputes the figures, saying it has confirmed 6,713 deaths, mostly protesters.
The international fallout has been swift. The European Union recently designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation over Iran’s handling of the protests. In retaliation, Iranian lawmakers on Sunday passed a motion branding European armies as terrorist entities.
During the parliamentary session, lawmakers donned green IRGC uniforms and chanted “Death to America,” “Death to Israel” and “Shame on you, Europe,” according to footage aired on state television. The immediate impact of the move remains unclear.
The session coincided with the 47th anniversary of the return from exile of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic in 1979. The EU’s decision mirrored similar designations by the United States, Canada and Australia.
The mounting tension has unsettled ordinary Iranians. Firouzeh, a 43-year-old homemaker, said the situation has left her “very worried and scared.”
“Lately, all I do is watch the news until I fall asleep. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night to check the updates,” she said.
IRGC official Ahmad Vahidi was quoted by Mehr news agency as warning that Iran’s “enemies” were attempting to manufacture a sense of impending conflict.
“This is part of their psychological operations. Therefore we should not fall into this trap,” Vahidi said.
Meanwhile, Ali Larijani@@@@, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, struck a more conciliatory note on Saturday, saying: “Contrary to the hype of the contrived media war, structural arrangements for negotiations are progressing.”
Trump has also acknowledged that dialogue is ongoing, though he has not withdrawn his earlier threats, saying simply, “we’ll see what happens.”
The US president has previously said he believes Iran would prefer reaching a deal on its nuclear and missile programmes rather than face military confrontation. Tehran, for its part, maintains it is open to nuclear talks—provided its missile and defence capabilities are excluded from negotiations.
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