Donald Trump Urges Iran To Release Eight Women Facing Execution Ahead Of Talks In Islamabad, Pakistan

U.S. President Donald Trump urged Iran to release eight women he said were facing execution, framing the request as a “great start to our negotiations” ahead of talks expected to resume in Islamabad, Pakistan.

“Trump asks Iran to release 8 women allegedly facing execution, calls it ‘great start’ to negotiations Iran has not confirmed reported execution plans or responded to Trump’s appeal Yasin Gungor 21 April 2026•Update: 21 April 2026 ISTANBUL US President Donald Trump on Tuesday appealed directly to Iranian leaders to release eight women he said were facing execution, framing the move as a goodwill gesture ahead of a new round of negotiations”

Anadolu Ajansı

In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “To the Iranian leaders, who will soon be in negotiations with my representatives: I would greatly appreciate the release of these women.”

Anadolu Ajansı

He added, “Please do them no harm! Would be a great start to our negotiations!!!”

The appeal was tied to a broader push around a ceasefire that Trump said was set to expire on Wednesday evening (Washington time), with the president describing it as having been violated “numerous times” by Iran.

Trump also said he was not in favour of extending the ceasefire, stating, “Well, I don’t want to do that.”

He further said, “We don’t have that much time,” and stressed that Iran had been given a choice and must come to the negotiating table.

Multiple outlets reported that Washington and Tehran were expected to hold another round of ceasefire talks in Pakistan, while neither side had officially confirmed the scheduled talks in Islamabad.

The Trump appeal landed as U.S.-Iran diplomacy remained constrained by the timing and conditions of the ceasefire and the planned negotiations in Islamabad.

The Times of India reported that “the United States and Iran are expected to hold another round of ceasefire talks in Pakistan,” while adding that “Neither Washington nor Tehran has officially confirmed the scheduled talks in Islamabad.”

Hindustan Times

It also said Iranian state media denied reports that any delegation was already present in the Pakistani capital.

Firstpost and Hindustan Times similarly tied Trump’s message to the expectation that Washington and Tehran would “recommence negotiations in Islamabad,” while noting that Iran had not formally acknowledged participation.

Hindustan Times reported that Iran stipulated the removal of the US naval blockade as a prerequisite, and it described the ceasefire as a two-week truce that Trump said concludes Wednesday evening Washington time.

In the same reporting, Trump said extending the truce is “highly improbable” if no consensus is achieved before that deadline.

The Hill described Trump’s comments as coming “amid ceasefire talks in Islamabad, Pakistan,” and it said the White House did not respond to requests for comment on the eight women facing the death penalty in Iran.

Alongside Trump’s public appeal, multiple outlets described the U.S. delegation and the reported identities of the women referenced in the message.

“Trump makes urgent appeal to Iran: ‘Please do them no harm’ President Donald Trump called on Iran to release eight women facing execution, hoping it would improve relations ahead of upcoming negotiations”

Hindustan Times

Firstpost said U.S. Vice President JD Vance, along with envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, was scheduled to travel to Pakistan for a second round of talks, while noting that Iran had not formally confirmed its participation.

The Hill reported that Trump’s post included a screenshot from a 23-year-old commentator, Eyal Yakoby, who shared images of eight women that he said were sentenced to death.

The Hill identified the women as Bita Hemmati, Ghazal Ghalandari, Golnaz Naraghi, Venus Hossein Nejad, Panah Movahedi, Ensieh Nejati, Mahboubeh Shabani and Diana Taher Abadi by the Lawfare Project.

It also said Naraghi was a 37-year-old emergency medicine specialist at a hospital in Tehran and was arrested by security forces in January, per the Femenahuman rights group.

The Hill further reported that Taher Abadi was a 16-year-old student detained on January 25, according to an Iranian news outlet, and it said social media reports described Nejati as the mother of a 5-year-old.

New York Post reported that the post included photographs of Bita Hemmati, Diana Taherabadi, 16, and Mahboubeh Shabani, 33, and it also said Ensieh Nejati was a Kurdish women’s rights activist sentenced to death in early 2025.

The reporting also highlighted competing claims about Trump’s previous statements on executions and Iran’s response, as well as the uncertainty around the women’s identities and the execution plans.

Washington Examiner described Trump’s approach as “notably softer” and said he framed the request as a goodwill favor ahead of negotiations, while also asserting that “Tehran denied Trump’s claim” about stopping executions.

The Hill

It quoted Trump telling reporters on Air Force One in January, “I said, ‘If you hang those people, you’re going to be hit harder than you’ve ever been hit,'” and it said Trump added, “And an hour before this horrible event, they canceled it,” with “That was a good sign.”

Washington Examiner also quoted Iranian Prosecutor General Mohammad Movahedi-Azad saying the “judiciary is an independent institution and does not take orders from foreigners.”

The Jerusalem Post similarly quoted Movahedi Azad as saying, “The US president has said he stopped the execution of 800 people in Iran, but this is completely false,” and repeated, “The judiciary is an independent institution and does not take orders from foreigners.”

On the women’s identities, Firstpost said Trump’s post included a repost of a statement on X by Eyal Yakoby that claimed eight women were facing execution by hanging, but it said the post “did not include any names.”

Türkiye Today and Anadolu Ajansı both reported that Iran had not confirmed participation or execution plans, with Anadolu Ajansı saying Iran “did not immediately respond to the appeal or confirm the reported execution plans.”

Beyond the appeal, Hindustan Times reported that Trump issued a warning that the United States would “obliterate all bridges and power facilities in Iran should it refuse his conditions,” while also describing Iran’s stated retaliation if the U.S. attacked civilian infrastructure.

“byAshleigh Fields04/21/26 11:04 AM ET President Trump on Tuesday urged Iran not to execute eight women accused of crimes against the Islamic Republic amid ceasefire talks in Islamabad, Pakistan”

The Hill

Hindustan Times said Iran responded that it would retaliate by targeting power stations and desalination facilities in its Gulf Arab neighbors.

The Indian Express

The same Hindustan Times report said nearly 20,000 security personnel had been deployed throughout Islamabad, according to a government official and a security representative, as Pakistan prepared to host the discussions.

It also described uncertainty about whether the talks would continue, linking that uncertainty to the ceasefire’s approaching expiration.

The Times of India reported that Trump warned the U.S. was ready to “go militarily” as Iran talks in Pakistan remained in limbo, and it said Trump said time was limited with “We don’t have that much time.”

The Hill reported that Trump’s Tuesday comments urging Iran not to kill protesters came as the U.S. and Iran attempted to resume negotiations for a long-term peace agreement, and it noted that the White House did not respond to requests for comment.

The reporting across outlets consistently tied the next steps to Islamabad and to the ceasefire’s Wednesday evening Washington time deadline, with Trump saying extending the truce was “highly unlikely” if no agreement was reached beforehand.