Lawyer explains what happened to man saved from execution after Trump threat

Iranian man Erfan Soltani was arrested on 10 January for his involvement in the nationwide protests in Iran.

The 26-year-old was held in detention facility in Karaj on charges of propaganda against Iran's Islamic system and acting against national security.

Demonstrations, which started on 28 December, peaked on 8 and 9 January as Tehran acknowledged more than 3,000 deaths. While they insisted that the violence was down to 'terrorist acts', the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said it has confirmed 6,713 deaths.

After Soltani was arrested, the US State Department said on its Farsi-language X account that he 'is the first protester to be sentenced to death, but he won’t be the last'. It also noted that more than 10,600 Iranians had been arrested.

Soltani's lawyer has provided an update (Hengaw Organization for Human Rights)

Soltani and Iran, however, have denied he'd been sentenced to death.

In an update, his lawyer, Amir Mousakhani, told AFP that his client 'was released yesterday (Saturday) and received all of his belongings including his cellphone'. A bail of 'two billion tomans', which is the equivalent of £9,156.64, was paid for his release, Mousakhani said.

It comes after president Donald Trump threatened to 'take very strong action' if Iran start hanging anti-government protesters.

"We will take very strong action. If they do such a thing, we will take very strong action," he told CBS News on 13 January.

Trump went on to say that 'there's a lot of help on the way' for Iranian citizens, and that it's being offered in 'different forms'.

"The endgame is to win. I like winning," the Republican leader went on.

Soltani said he isn't sentenced to death (Hengaw Organization for Human Rights)

"We don't want to see what's happening in Iran happen. And you know, if they want to have protests, that's one thing, when they start killing thousands of people, and now you're telling me about hanging — we'll see how that works out for them.

"It's not going to work out good."

The Iranian protests started in December 2025 after the Iranian currency (the rial) plunged to record lows. It caused prices for essentials like food and fuel to soar and made everyday living extremely difficult for many Iranians. Soaring inflation and economic mismanagement drove shopkeepers in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar to strike and sparked broader unrest.

Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran's former leader, told CNN: "The truth is now undeniable. The so-called Islamic Republic is not the government of Iran. It is a hostile occupying force that's hijacked our homeland.

"After invading five neighboring countries and sowing chaos across the region, this regime has invaded Iran itself using foreign terrorists, Hezbollah fighters, Iraqi militias and other mercenaries to slaughter the Iranian people. This is no longer mere repression."