TEHRAN - Iran’s Prosecutor General Mohammad Movahedi has vehemently denied US President Donald Trump’s baseless claim that Tehran intended to execute some 800 individuals.

“Since witnessing a prompt and firm response by the revolutionary Iranian people on January 12, the United States’ irrational and despotic president has adopted unstable positions and claimed that he has prevented the execution of 800 people in Iran. This claim is a sheer lie. Neither does such a figure exist, nor has the Judiciary made such a decision,” said the top judicial official.

 On January 12, 2026, Iranians staged rallies nationwide to condemn recent riots in the country, instigated by foreign-backed operatives and terrorists. The unrest had been ordered and incited by foreign spy agencies and hostile elements. However, Iranian security and intelligence forces acted promptly and dealt with the terrorists, making numerous arrests and identifying a large number of agents with ties to the enemy.

Following the failure of the enemy’s plot, Trump ramped up his rhetoric against the Islamic Republic and pushed on with his threats, saying “all options are on the table” toward Iran. Trump also alleged that his position on Iran had forced the country to stop what he called the execution of some 800 individuals, a baseless claim that Iran has strongly denied.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the top judge reacted to Trump’s recent remarks about the Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

“From our perspective, such impudence and insolence amount to the declaration of a full-scale war. Accordingly, in case of any aggression [against Iran], US interests all across the world will be threatened by supporters of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he said.

In a recent interview with Politico, Trump said it was "time to look for a new leader in Iran." 

The Iranian prosecutor general further touched upon the checks and balances principle in the Islamic Republic of Iran, saying the Judiciary is tasked with certain duties to fulfil.

“The Judiciary is a completely independent body and not swayed by foreign pressure. “We have the separation of power and each [of the three] branch[es of government] has a certain responsibility, and we will not take orders from foreigners, whatsoever,” he explained.