Iran Executes Man Accused Of Aiding US, Israel

Iranian authorities have executed a man accused of supporting hostile groups linked to Israel and the United States during anti-government protests that rocked the country earlier this year.

The judiciary said Majid Adineh was executed on Sunday after being convicted of “operational action in favour of hostile groups” during the nationwide demonstrations.

According to the judiciary’s Mizan Online website, Adineh was also convicted of “deliberate arson, gathering and collusion with the intention of committing crimes against the country’s internal security.”

“Based on numerous documents and evidence in the case and the defendant’s statements, the Karaj Revolutionary Court sentenced him to death and confiscation of all his property,” Mizan reported.

Adineh’s appeal was unsuccessful, with the Supreme Court upholding the death sentence before the execution was carried out on Sunday morning.

The judiciary said Adineh and another suspect were arrested on January 9 in Alborz province, west of Tehran, while allegedly carrying “a revolver, ammunition, two tasers, two tear gas canisters, a rechargeable chainsaw, and a bottle of gasoline”.

The protests began in late December over grievances linked to rising living costs and economic hardship but quickly developed into widespread anti-government demonstrations, reaching their peak on January 8 and 9.

Iranian authorities said more than 3,000 people were killed during the unrest, blaming the violence on “terrorist acts” allegedly orchestrated by the United States and Israel.

The latest execution comes amid a reported rise in executions in Iran since the outbreak of the Middle East war on February 28, following US-Israeli strikes against Iran.

Several of those executed have been linked to the protests, while other cases have been connected to the conflict.

Iran Human Rights, a Norway-based non-governmental organisation, and Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM), headquartered in Paris, said Iranian authorities executed at least 1,639 people in 2025, the highest annual figure recorded in the country since 1989.

Amnesty International ranks Iran as the country with the second-highest number of executions globally, after China.