Trump says killings in Iran ‘stopping’ as Iran restricts airspace

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that government killings of Iranian protesters appear to have ceased, after continually threatening the regime with US intervention over its crackdown against protesters.

"We've been told that the killing in Iran is stopping," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "It's stopping, and there's no plan for executions. ... If it happens we will be very upset," Trump added.

This comes as the Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights reported that as of Wednesday, at least 3,000 people have been killed since the protests erupted on Dec. 28. On Tuesday, Trump told protesters that "help is on the way."

Meanwhile, Iranian airspace appeared largely empty on Wednesday night after a Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) was issued allowing only limited international arrivals and departures, according to Flightradar24. Iranian authorities did not immediately comment on the closure.

Earlier Wednesday, US officials briefed on the matter told Al-Monitor’s Jared Szuba that the US military has begun evacuating some of its personnel from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. The move came after Trump convened principals on Tuesday to discuss courses of action, one of the sources said. Still, the US Navy’s top officer suggested Wednesday that the White House has not asked the Pentagon to send the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier to the Middle East.

Iran struck the Al Udeid base in late June following US and Israeli strikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites. On Wednesday, Iranian state media quoted Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Commander Majid Mousavi as saying that Iran’s missile stockpile has increased since June’s 12-day war with Israel.

A number of countries have urged their nationals to leave Iran, including the United States, France, Germany, Canada and India.