Iran hangs 3 people over involvement in anti-government protests

Iran executed three men after they were convicted of involvement in anti-government protests that rocked the country in December and January, authorities said Monday.

Arrests and executions in Iran, particularly linked to the protests that began in December over living costs, have been on the rise since the start of the regional war triggered by a U.S.-Israeli attack on February 28.

“Mehdi Rassouli and Mohammad Reza Miri, Mossad agents involved in the January riots in Mashhad (northeast), responsible for widespread violence and the death of a member of the security forces, were hanged,” said the Iranian judiciary’s Mizan Online website, referring to the Israeli spy agency.

The court accused the two men of “using Molotov cocktails and bladed weapons, inciting and encouraging others to kill, and directly participating in the murder of a security officer.”

“Ebrahim Dolatabadi, one of the main instigators of the riots in Mashhad that claimed the lives of several members of the security forces, was also hanged,” Mizan added.

The sentences were carried out after the Supreme Court confirmed the verdict for all three men, said Mizan.

Last month, Bita Hemmati was believed to be the first woman to be sentenced to death over the protests, according to several rights groups.

According to Iranian authorities, the wave of protests that peaked in January began peacefully before descending into “riots fomented by foreign powers.”

The government has acknowledged more than 3,000 deaths in the protests but blames the violence on “terrorist acts” orchestrated by the United States and Israel.

On Sunday, a man was executed for his role in a murder committed during another round of protests that rocked Iran in 2022-2023 following the death of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian Kurdish woman.

Iran is the world’s most prolific executioner after China, according to rights groups.

According to Iran Human Rights Monitor, Iran carried out 656 executions in the first three months of this year but the actual tally is “likely far higher” since Iran was largely offline in March when only eight were recorded.

Norway-based Iran Human Rights and Paris-based Together Against the Death Penalty said  last month in their joint annual report on the death penalty in Iran that at least 1,639 people were executed in 2025 — including 48 women.

In March, Iran executed three men who were accused of killing police officers during the protests, including Saleh Mohammadi, a young member of Iran’s national wrestling team.

“Dozens of individuals arrested during the January 2026 protests have been sentenced to death following grossly unfair, fast-tracked trials conducted without due process, access to independent counsel and reliance on torture-tainted forced ‘confessions’ as evidence,” said the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran.