Trump says has been notified killings in Iran have “stopped”

• Trump stated he had received assurances on "good authority" that the killing of protesters and planned executions in Iran had been halted, though he noted the US has yet to verify these claims amid a reported death toll of over 3,400 people.
• While Washington monitors Tehran, the US military has begun a posture change by reducing personnel at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar as a precaution against potential Iranian retaliation for the US threats of military intervention.

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he had been told the killings of protesters in Iran had been halted, even as Washington moved to reduce its footprint at a major US military base in Qatar amid mounting pressure in its standoff with Tehran.

Speaking at the White House, Trump said he had received assurances from "very important sources on the other side" that the killings had stopped and that planned executions would not go ahead.

He offered no details and noted that the United States had yet to verify the claims.

"They've said the killing has stopped and the executions won't take place -- there were supposed to be a lot of executions today and that the executions won't take place -- and we're going to find out," Trump said.

"We've been told on good authority, and I hope it's true."

Iran struck a defiant tone, however, warning it could respond to any attack, as Washington appeared to draw down staff at a base Tehran targeted in a strike last year.

The standoff between the two foes, who have had no diplomatic ties since the 1979 Islamic revolution, follows Trump's warning that Tehran could face action over a crackdown on protests that rights groups say has left at least 3,428 people dead.

Rights monitors say that under cover of a five-day internet blackout, Iranian authorities are carrying out their harshest repression in years against demonstrations.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told US network Fox News the government was "in full control" and reported an atmosphere of "calm" after what he called three days of "terrorist operation."

Iran's judiciary chief vowed fast-track trials for those arrested.

In Tehran, authorities held a funeral for more than 100 security personnel and other "martyrs" killed in the unrest, which officials have branded "acts of terror."