Trump Thanks Iran For Halting Executions

President Donald Trump has taken the unusual step of thanking the Iranian government for not following through on executions of what he said was meant to be hundreds of political prisoners. Trump said Friday that he “greatly respected” the move. The sentiment seemed to back away from Trump’s recent suggestions that the U.S. might strike Iran militarily if its government triggered mass killings during widespread protests that swept that country but now have quieted. Several Middle Eastern allies of the U.S. had urged the Trump administration to hold off on striking, fearing such action would destabilize an already volatile region and the global economy.