Iran executes three men linked to Mashhad protests

Iran’s judiciary says three men detained over January unrest in Mashhad have been executed by hanging, as rights groups report a broader surge in death sentences since the war with the US began in late February. Euronews reports the men—Mehdi Rasouli, 25, Mohammad Reza Miri, 21, and Ebrahim Dolatabadi—were put to death after convictions tied to protest activity in the city’s Tabarsi district. Rights organisations say at least one of the executions proceeded without credible evidence and amid allegations of coerced confessions.

The state’s version of the cases blends protest, espionage and violence into a single charge sheet. According to Iran’s judiciary, Rasouli and Miri were convicted of acting as Mossad agents, directing unrest and involvement in the killing of a security forces member. Iran’s IRGC-linked Fars news agency said Rasouli carried a homemade sword and that Molotov cocktails were used. The judiciary cited confessions; a source familiar with Rasouli’s case told the Iranian Human Rights Activists News Agency that he accepted the charges only after beatings and torture.

The timing matters because the war has tightened the regime’s control over information and raised the political value of public punishment. Euronews cites rights groups saying arrests and executions linked to protests that began in December over living costs have increased since the conflict started. Since 28 February, Iran’s judiciary has executed at least 30 people connected to the January protests, alleged opposition membership or espionage charges, according to the Iran Human Rights Organisation.

The scale is not limited to political cases. On the same day, rights groups reported four additional executions in Isfahan in unrelated murder cases under qisas, the “eye for an eye” principle, though the judiciary had not confirmed those deaths at the time of publication. Iran Human Rights counted at least 747 executions on murder-related charges in 2025 and said overall executions reached at least 1,500 that year, placing Iran among the world’s most prolific executioners after China.

Individual details in the Mashhad cases suggest the leverage the state holds over families. A source told Euronews that security agencies pressured Rasouli’s relatives to stay silent with promises of a reduced sentence. Hengaw Human Rights Organisation said Dolatabadi was executed despite a lack of transparency and claimed his death was used to secure the release of two brothers still imprisoned; his 14-year-old son, also arrested, was recently released from juvenile detention.

Iran’s judiciary announced the names and charges. Rights groups say one of the men was hanged without credible evidence. The executions took place at Vakilabad prison in Mashhad.