Iran’s judiciary on Wednesday rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that it had rescinded its ruling to execute eight Iranian women, saying that they never faced the death sentence to begin with.
“None of these women were facing execution for their sentences to be revoked,” the judiciary said in a statement cited by London-based Iran International, an opposition outlet.
Trump is “trying to manufacture achievements from false news,” the statement read.
Earlier on Wednesday, the U.S. president wrote on Truth Social that he had “just been informed that the eight women protesters who were going to be executed tonight in Iran will no longer be killed.”
He continued, “Four will be released immediately, and four will be sentenced to one month in prison. I very much appreciate that Iran, and its leaders, respected my request, as President of the United States, and terminated the planned execution. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
The issue was first raised by Trump the previous day, when he cited an influencer on X who posted an image with the faces of the alleged eight detainees and warned that Tehran was about to hang them.
Trump wrote, “To the Iranian negotiators, who will soon be in negotiations with my representatives: I would greatly appreciate the release of these women... Please do them no harm! Would be a great start to our negotiations!!!”
"To the Iranian leaders, who will soon be in negotiations with my representatives: I would greatly appreciate the release of these women. I am sure that they will respect the fact that you did so. Please do them no harm! Would be a great start to our negotiations!!!" - President… pic.twitter.com/pxU8xZFvAh
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 21, 2026
An American delegation was slated to meet with Iranian representatives in Islamabad on Wednesday in a final push to end U.S. and Iranian hostilities amid a ceasefire about to expire on the same day.
Tehran, however, decided to nix the meeting due to the ongoing U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.
In response, Trump announced an indefinite extension of the ceasefire.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Wednesday that the Trump administration was “maintaining and generously offering a bit of flexibility to a regime who has been completely tarnished because of ‘Operation Epic Fury,’” the U.S. operation against the Islamic Republic that began on Feb. 28.
Iran must never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon, and they must hand over their enriched uranium.@PressSec joins Fox News, delivering an update on Operation Epic Fury. pic.twitter.com/in7S8zwtWG
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 22, 2026
