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has constituted the greatest threat to the Islamic republic since its inception in 1979.

Rights groups say the crackdown by authorities, who exercise zero tolerance for dissent, has left at least 3,428 people dead. They also accuse the country’s theocratic leaders of using an internet blackout to cover up the brutality of their crackdown.

In telephone talks yesterday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Saudi Arabian counterpart Faisal bin Farhan of the importance of “global condemnation of foreign interference in the internal affairs of regional countries”.

He also reiterated that Iran would defend itself “against any foreign threat”.

The developments came hours ahead of a UN Security Council meeting on Iran later yesterday, which was requested by the US.

On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia informed Iran it would not allow its airspace or territory to be used to attack it, two sources close to the kingdom’s government told AFP.

Up until Wednesday, the United States was threatening military action against Iran should it carry out the death penalty against people arrested over the protests.

In an announcement at the White House, Trump said he had now received assurances from “very important sources on the other side” that executions would not go ahead.

“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.

Asked by an AFP reporter in the Oval Office if US military action was now off the table, Trump, however, did not rule out possible US military action. “We’re going to watch it and see what the process is.”

In separate comments, Trump told Reuters in an exclusive interview that Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi “seems very nice” but expressed uncertainty over whether Pahlavi would be able to muster support within Iran to eventually take over.

All eyes were on protester Erfan Soltani, 26, in prison in Karaj outside Tehran since his arrest, who is facing charges of propaganda against Iran’s Islamic system and acting against national security.

Yesterday, the Iranian judiciary said Soltani has “not been sentenced to death” and if he is convicted, “the punishment, according to the law, will be imprisonment, as the death penalty does not exist for such charges”.

Iran’s judiciary chief had vowed fast-track trials for those arrested, and prosecutors have said some detainees will face capital charges of “waging war against God”.

State media reported hundreds of arrests and the detention of a foreign national for espionage, without giving details.

In an interview with US network Fox News, Araghchi said there would be “no hanging today or tomorrow”, while accusing US ally Israel of orchestrating violence in Iran, without providing evidence.

Araghchi contends the protests devolved into widespread violence between January 7 and 10 because they were infiltrated by external “elements who had a plan to create a big number of killings in order to provoke President Trump to enter into this conflict and start a new war against Iran”.

He said the Iranian government was “in full control” and reported an atmosphere of “calm” after what he called three days of “terrorist operation”.