An Iranian woman who was going to be stoned to death for adultery has been given a temporary stay of execution.

Iran’s official IRNA news agency on Sunday quoted a senior judicial official as saying that the sentence “will not be carried out for the time being,” although he added that Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani would remain in prison and the stoning would likely eventually go ahead.

Malekadjar Sharifi, an official in Eastern Azerbaijan province, was quoted as saying the suspension was not influenced by the international outcry drawn by the death sentence.

“The verdict is definitive and applicable. But it has been halted due to humanitarian reservations and based on the judiciary chief’s order,” he said.Mohammadi Ashtiani’s stoning has been approved by Iran’s supreme court.