U.S. president appeals to Tehran for humanitarian gesture as negotiations loom, warning of consequences amid ceasefire tensions and ongoing military pressure
President Donald Trump on April 21 called on the Iranian regime to release eight women reportedly facing execution, as negotiations between Tehran and Washington were scheduled for the same day.
“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,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
He added that if Iran does “no harm” to the women, it “would be a great start to our negotiations.”
Trump included a screenshot from a prominent X user showing the women allegedly set to be executed, though no names were provided in either post.
The message was also shared by the White House’s Rapid Response page on X on Tuesday morning.
The identities of the women, the alleged crimes, and whether they are currently detained by the Iranian regime could not be independently verified.
Iran has faced widespread protests since January, with human rights groups reporting a broad crackdown on dissent. In mid-January, Trump said the United States would support demonstrators while canceling talks with Tehran at that time.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One in January, Trump stated that he had “stopped 837 hangings” in Iran and warned Tehran of consequences for further executions.
“And I said, ‘If you hang those people, you’re going to be hit harder than you’ve ever been hit,’” he said.
The Trump administration has indicated that additional rounds of discussions would take place in Pakistan on Tuesday, though Iranian officials have not publicly confirmed the meeting. Some Iranian state media outlets have denied that any officials are in the country for talks with Washington.
A two-week ceasefire is set to expire later this week. In an interview Tuesday morning on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Trump said he is prepared to strike Iran again if no agreement is reached. Meanwhile, the U.S. military has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports to increase economic pressure.
Prior to the ceasefire announced earlier in April, Trump warned he was ready to target Iran’s power plants and bridges.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Monday that Tehran rejects negotiations conducted under threat and suggested the blockade could undermine talks.
“We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threat, and over the past two weeks, we have prepared to unveil new cards on the battlefield,” he wrote on X.
On Tuesday, the U.S. military reported that its forces boarded an oil tanker previously sanctioned for smuggling Iranian crude in Asia. The Department of War said in a social media post that U.S. forces boarded the M/T Tifani “without incident.”
The U.S. military also seized an Iranian cargo vessel on Sunday, marking the first interception under the blockade of Iranian ports. Iran’s military command condemned the armed boarding as piracy and a violation of the ceasefire.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
