'Completely false': Iran's top prosecutor dismisses Trump's claim he saved 800 protesters from hanging

The Islamic Republic's top prosecutor on Friday dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated claims that he halted the hangings of 800 detained Iranian protesters.

“This claim is completely false; no such number exists, nor has the judiciary made any such decision,” Mohammad Movahedi was quoted by regime media as saying.

“We have a separation of powers, the responsibilities of each institution are clearly defined, and we do not, under any circumstances, take instructions from foreign powers,” he further added. 

The statement comes amid intense speculation that the U.S. could carry out a limited operation against the Islamic regime's repressive institutions, including the Revolutionary Guards and their various extensions. A U.S. aircraft carrier group has moved closer to the Middle East on Thursday, something Trump likened to an “armada” in comments to media.

So far Trump has avoided ordering the military to strike Iran despite issuing repeated warnings. He stipulated the mass execution of prisoners as one of his red lines for the deployment of military force; however, his other red line of the killing of peaceful demonstrators was flagrantly violated by the regime, which carried out a massacre of thousands of its own people.