Trump announces U.S.-brokered ‘goodwill’ understanding with Iran to spare 8 female prisoners, Tehran denies execution claims
OAN Staff Katherine Mosack and Brooke Mallory
3:33 PM – Wednesday, April 22, 2026
President Donald Trump called upon the Iranian government to halt the scheduled executions of eight women, subsequently reporting that leaders in Tehran had agreed to his request.
Describing the appeal as a critical diplomatic overture, the president noted that the gesture would serve as a vital precursor to upcoming negotiations between his administration and Iranian representatives.
The Tuesday initiative also followed a social media post by activist Eyal Yakoby, which featured images of the eight women and warned of their imminent hanging, prompting the president to intervene as a condition for the unfolding peace process.
While the post did not identify every individual, one prominent figure mentioned was Bita Hemmati, who participated in the anti-regime protests that swept through all 31 Iranian provinces during December and January.
According to the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), authorities accused Hemmati of a range of capital offenses, including the use of explosives and weapons, disrupting national security, and assaulting security forces with concrete blocks. She was arrested alongside her husband and two neighbors, all of whom reportedly received death sentences.
Other women featured on the list included 16-year-old Diana Taherabadi, who was charged with the capital crime of “waging war against God,” and 33-year-old Mahboubeh Shabani. The Norway-based Hengaw Organization for Human Rights reported that Shabani’s charges stemmed from her efforts to provide medical assistance to wounded demonstrators.
The scale of the crackdown following the economic-led unrest has been staggering, though exact figures remain difficult to verify due to the regime’s frequent internet blackouts. While Tehran officially acknowledged approximately 3,000 deaths, various human rights organizations estimate the toll could be as high as 30,000.
According to the Human Rights News Agency (HRANA), more than 50,000 individuals were detained during the height of the demonstrations earlier this year.
Among those swept up in the arrests were Dr. Golnaz Naraghi, an internal medicine specialist reportedly forced to sign a confession at Qarchak prison, and Venus Hosseininejad, whose family informed the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that she was coerced into delivering a televised confession regarding alleged crimes against the state.
Ghazal Ghalandari, Panah Movahedi, and Ensieh Nejat were identified as the remaining three women on the list, according to the New York Post.
“To the Iranian leaders, who will soon be in negotiations with my representatives: I would greatly appreciate the release of these women,” the president wrote on his Truth Social platform. “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!!!”
In another post on Wednesday, Trump gleefully shared the “very good news” regarding his request to the Iranian leaders.
“I have just been informed that the eight women protestors who were going to be executed tonight in Iran will no longer be killed. Four will be released immediately, and four will be sentenced to one month in prison,” Trump announced. “I very much appreciate that Iran, and its leaders, respected my request, as President of the United States, and terminated the planned execution.”
Trump’s announcement came hours after he extended a two-week ceasefire with Iran as negotiations continue between the two countries.
In response, however, Iran’s judiciary claimed that the women were never in danger of execution. In a swift rebuttal, the Iranian judiciary dismissed the reports of imminent hangings, declaring that the women were never actually in danger of execution.
Official Iranian state media outlets characterized the claims as “fake news,” maintaining that the individuals in question had either never been sentenced to death or, in several instances, had already been released on bail weeks prior to the diplomatic intervention.
“Trump was misled once again by fake news,” stated Iran’s judiciary’s official website, Mizan Online. “The women who were claimed to be on the verge of execution, some of them have been released, while others face charges that, if convictions are upheld, would at most result in imprisonment.”
Nonetheless, beyond President Trump, various international human rights organizations and activists have directly challenged Tehran’s denial. While the Iranian judiciary claims the women were never in danger, these groups argue that the “execution orders” were, in fact, very real and that the regime is only backtracking due to international pressure.
According to the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), the Iranian judiciary’s “fake news” label is a typical tactic to save face during sensitive diplomatic negotiations.
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