According to a Fox News report, the Islamic Republic has already carried out 657 executions in the first three months of 2026, putting it on track to surpass last year’s record, the Iran Human Rights Society says.
Critics say the regime is using the fog of war to tighten its grip at home.
Hiding behind its ongoing conflict with the United States and Israel, Tehran is accused of ramping up executions to eliminate dissent, particularly after anti-regime protests that shook the country’s leadership.
Those demonstrations, according to critics, ended in mass killings carried out by security forces and militias.
The latest flashpoint came in March, when the execution of 19-year-old wrestler Saleh Mohammadi drew international condemnation, including from President Donald Trump.
A State Department spokesperson blasted the regime’s actions, saying, “This latest barbaric act is more evidence of why the regime can never be allowed the advanced capabilities that we are destroying.”
Officials and watchdogs warn the pace may be even worse than reported.
Mai Sato, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, said at least six executions took place after the war began, with additional killings reported on March 31.
“Due to the internet blackout, it is unclear who else has been executed or are at risk of execution,” Sato said. “What is clear is that the death penalty is being used as a tool for suppressing political opposition in wartime conditions.”
از زمان آغاز جنگ، دستکم شش مورد اعدام در شرایط قطع کامل اینترنت — که اکنون ۳۱ روز پیاپی ادامه یافته — ثبت شده است.
سه مرد در ارتباط با اعتراضات سراسریای که از ۲۸ دسامبر ۲۰۲۵ آغاز شد، پس از روندهایی که بنا بر گزارشها با نقضهای جدی دادرسی عادلانه همراه بوده، اعدام شدند. فرد…— Mai Sato (@drmaisato) March 30, 2026
Opposition groups say their members are being directly targeted.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran reported that several members of the dissident People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran were transferred from prison and executed within days.
Among them were Mohammad Taghavi and Akbar Daneshvarkar, with additional executions reported days later, including Babak Alipour and Pouya Ghobadi.
Ali Safavi, a senior NCRI official, called for “urgent action” to prevent further killings.
Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the NCRI, described the executions as a sign of regime weakness.
“The execution conducted on March 31 reflects the clerical regime’s fear and desperation,” she said, urging the United Nations to take “practical and effective measures,” including closing embassies and expelling Iranian diplomats.
At dawn today(Tuesday31March) #BabakAlipour and #PouyaGhobadi, two members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), were executed in Qezel Hesar Prison by the religious fascism ruling Iran.
The brutal execution of these PMOI members reflects the clerical… pic.twitter.com/enAaf3zChQ— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) March 31, 2026
Global watchdogs are sounding the alarm.
The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights previously reported that Iran carried out at least 1,500 executions in 2025, warning the scale points to systematic use of capital punishment as state intimidation.
Amnesty International has echoed those concerns, adding that several young protesters now face imminent execution after being transferred to undisclosed locations.
More over at The New York Post:
Iranian regime launches execution spree over growing fears of another uprising: 'existential threat' https://t.co/uN1hKwhucs pic.twitter.com/JnWVPIYdby
— New York Post (@nypost) April 1, 2026
