Iran executes 3 men accused of carrying out operations for Israel, US during protests

Iran executed three men on Sunday after they were convicted of carrying out operations for Israel and the US and taking part in armed unrest during anti-government protests in January, state media reported.

The executions are the latest in a series Iran has carried out in recent months over the January protests, including those of people accused of links to Israel and the US.

Hassan Dioband, Hamid Kazemi and Reza Zanganeh were accused of using firearms, grenades and Molotov cocktails, setting fire to public facilities and damaging an electricity substation in the city of Karaj, causing power outages in some areas, according to the judiciary.

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The judiciary said Dioband was arrested on January 11 after investigations identified him as a suspect in attacks on public property and incitement to violence.

Ten others accused of participating in the unrest under his supervision were subsequently arrested.

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The three were sentenced to death and ordered to have their assets confiscated. Their executions were carried out after the Supreme Court upheld their sentences, while the other defendants received prison terms of 5 to 10 years.

Bloody protests broke out late last year, then escalated into mass anti-government rioting in January.

Iranian authorities reported more than 3,000 deaths in the unrest, attributing the violence to “terrorist acts” orchestrated by the United States and Israel.

Foreign-based non-governmental organizations, however, maintain that Iranian security forces fired on protesters and that the true death toll was much higher.

In late February, the United States and Israel launched a joint attack against Iran, triggering a war in the Middle East that has settled into an uneasy lull.

Since then, arrests and executions have multiplied in Iran, linked both to the conflict and to the January protests.

According to rights groups including Amnesty International, Iran executes more people each year than any country except China.

In 2025, Iran executed at least 1,639 people, the largest number in any year since 1989, according to the NGOs Iran Human Rights and Together Against the Death Penalty.

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