Iran hangs another man as executions increase during war

Iran on Tuesday executed a man convicted of armed rebellion, the judiciary said, the latest in a wave of hangings since war broke out with the United States and Israel.

“The death sentence for Abdoljalil Shahbakhsh, son of Jalal, a trained member of the Ansar al-Furqan terrorist group, was carried out this morning,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online website said.

He had been charged with rebellion “through armed attacks on police headquarters and membership in the Ansar al-Furqan rebel group,” the authorities added.

Ansar al-Furqan is a Sunni militant group active in Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan.

The judiciary said Shahbakhsh carried out his attacks during protests that rocked Iran in 2022 and 2023 following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian Kurdish woman.

His sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court, authorities added.

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

The country has been at war with Israel and the United States since late February, with a ceasefire in place since April 8.

Since the start of the conflict, Iran has ramped up executions, particularly in cases involving alleged espionage or security-related charges.

On Monday, Iran hanged a man convicted of allegedly spying for the CIA and Israel’s Mossad intelligence service. Norway-based rights groups Iran Human Rights and Hengaw said Erfan Shakourzadeh was a student at Tehran’s prestigious Iran University of Science and Technology and had written a message before his execution denying the charges.

According to Hengaw, Shakourzadeh wrote: “I was arrested on fabricated espionage charges and, after eight and a half months of torture and solitary confinement, was forced into a false confession. Do not let another innocent life be taken in silence.”

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.