PolicyDriftLive desk
Today 
HomeAll newsTrending India
BreakingWorld NewsIndiaSportsBusinessBanking & EconomicsPoliticsMarketsCrypto
BreakingWorld NewsIndiaSportsBusinessBanking & EconomicsPoliticsMarketsCrypto

PolicyDrift

Policy & world briefs

Curated desks, clear headlines, and sources on every story. Built for readers who want context without noise.

Desks

  • Breaking
  • World News
  • India
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Banking & Economics
  • Politics
  • Markets
  • Crypto

Site

  • All news
  • Sitemap

Legal

  • Terms of use
  • Privacy
  • Cookies
  • Editorial standards

© 2026 PolicyDrift. Headlines and media belong to their respective publishers; we link to originals.

PrivacyTermsCookies
News
Home/News/Breaking
Breaking
Apr 2, 2026, 2:48 PM·13 views

Iran regime uses war to mask 'brutal' execution surge against political opponents

The Islamic Republic of Iran is on track to exceed the record number of executions it carried out against opponents in 2025, with 657 executions in the first three months of the year, according to the Iran Human Rights…

Iran regime uses war to mask 'brutal' execution surge against political opponents

The Islamic Republic of Iran is on track to exceed the record number of executions it carried out against opponents in 2025, with 657 executions in the first three months of the year, according to the Iran Human Rights Society.  

Hiding behind the war with the U.S. and Israel, critics say the regime appears desperate to eliminate opposition, particularly following anti-regime demonstrations that shook the nation's rulers and resulted in tens of thousands being murdered by the country's security forces and militias.

In March, the regime was met with condemnations, including from President Donald Trump, over the execution of 19-year-old wrestler Saleh Mohammadi.

MOJTABA KHAMENEI REGIME EXECUTES CHAMPION WRESTLER AS IRAN INTENSIFIES BRUTAL CRACKDOWN DURING WAR

On Iran's latest killing spree, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, "This latest barbaric act is more evidence of why the regime can never be allowed the advanced capabilities that we are destroying."

The United Nations special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mai Sato, said that since the start of the war at least six executions have taken place as of March 30 and noted on her X account that an additional two executions took place on March 31.

Sato described the regime’s known victims as protesters, an accused spy for Israel, and individuals charged with "armed rebellion" against the regime. Sato said that "due to the internet blackout, it is unclear who else has been executed or are at risk of execution." She said, "What is clear is that the death penalty is being used as a tool for suppressing political opposition in wartime conditions."

IRAN'S INTERNET BLACKOUT HIDING STRIKE DAMAGE AND SUPPRESSING DISSENT, ISRAELI OFFICIALS SAY

The secretariat of the NCRI provided a written statement to Fox News Digital describing the recent executions of four members of the Iranian dissident organization People’s Mohahedin Organization of Iran (PMOE/MEK). The NCRI said members Mohammad Taghavi and Akbar Daneshvarkar were transferred from Ghezel Hesar prison on March 29 and executed the following morning. Four additional members of the group, Babak Alipour, Vahid Bani Amerian, Abolhassan Montazer and Pouya Ghobadi, were transferred as well. On March 31, the regime executed Alipour and Ghobadi.

Ali Safavi, a member of the NCRI’s Foreign Affairs Committee, called for "urgent action" to save the lives of Amerian and Montazer.

Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the NCRI, posted on X that the execution conducted on March 31 "reflects the clerical regime’s fear and desperation." She called on the United Nations and its member states to engage in "practical and effective measures, including the closure of embassies and the expulsion of the regime’s terrorist diplomats and agents."

Before the Islamic Republic killed thousands of its own people during January protests, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights stated that the Islamic Republic carried out "at least" 1,500 executions in 2025. According to the high commissioner, "the scale and pace of executions suggest a systematic use of capital punishment as a tool of State intimidation, with disproportionate impact on ethnic minorities and migrants."

Amnesty International has raised similar concerns, and additionally noted that five "young protesters" now "face the imminent risk of execution," having been transferred from Ghezal Hesar "to an unidentified location" as of March 31.

Text above is from the syndicated RSS feed (sanitized for safe display). For the latest version, updates, and full context, use the publisher link.

Open originalAll news

More in Breaking

Same desk, different stories

All Breaking →
  • Breaking

    Death of refugee left in parking lot by Border Patrol ruled a homicide

    The autopsy results for Nurul Amin Shah Alam sparked fresh calls to investigate the circumstances surrounding the visually impaired refugee’s death, which provoked outrage in Buffalo.

    Apr 2, 2026, 4:29 PM
  • Breaking

    Out of orbit: Nasa’s Artemis II faces toilet trouble

    Glitch to the facilities quickly fixed, in relief to astronauts onboard Orion spacecraft A blinking fault light on Nasa’s Orion spacecraft signalled an unwelcome setback at the start of the historic Artemis II mission:…

    Apr 2, 2026, 4:24 PM
  • Breaking

    Country singer Tanner Usrey arrested on fentanyl possession and DWI charges in Texas

    Country singer Tanner Usrey was arrested in Collin County, Texas , earlier this week on charges that include driving while intoxicated (DWI) and felony drug possession involving fentanyl. According to the Collin County…

    Apr 2, 2026, 4:19 PM
  • Breaking

    HBO to air standalone special on the making of new Harry Potter series

    Finding Harry: The Craft Behind the Magic features interviews with cast members and will air on 5 April HBO has more Harry Potter magic up its sleeve – today, the company announced a standalone, behind-the-scenes…

    Apr 2, 2026, 4:16 PM
  • Breaking

    Iowa State star Audi Crooks entering the transfer portal, the latest to leave team in mass exodus

    Iowa State star Audi Crooks announced she is entering the transfer portal, making her the fourth starter and 10th Cyclones player overall to say they will move on after a disappointing second half of the season…

    Apr 2, 2026, 4:09 PM
  • Breaking

    Strong Storms Bring a Threat of Tornadoes on Thursday

    Parts of Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri are in the bull’s-eye of powerful storms sweeping through this week.

    Apr 2, 2026, 4:09 PM

Markets

Loading…

Green / red = day move · Hover row for detail · Delayed dataDay move · Tap a row for detail · Delayed quotes