SerpApi.Org
Iran executed two young men who protested the government on Sunday, marking the latest in a spike of state executions this year.
Erfan Esfandiari, 18, and Gol-Mohammad Mohammadi, a 23-year-old Afghan refugee, were hanged at an undisclosed location over the weekend after they opened the doors of their homes to protesters escaping from bullets shot by government officials.
Specifically, the pair was accused of killing four security forces and committing arson and vandalism during the Jan. 8th protests in Shahid Alikhani Square. However, the exact charges were not immediately revealed to the public.
Nearly 100 U.S. service members injured in Iranian strikes this month alone
Retired Navy officer makes grim Iran prediction as conflict reignites
Little information has been revealed about the men's executions. However, their deaths caught the attention of the international community, including U.S. President Donald Trump, who reposted on Truth Social the concerned statement of Iranian-American journalist Masih Alinejad.
"While the world watches the war, the Islamic Republic of Iran hanged a 19-year-old boy today," Alinejad wrote. "His name is Erfan Esfandiari and he was his parents' only child."
"He did not kill anyone. He did not carry a weapon. His crime, according to the Islamic Republic, was opening a door. Sheltering protesters who were running from security forces. That was enough to send him to the gallows," she added.
President Trump did not accompany the repost with a caption; the contents of the statement make his continued opposition to the Iranian regime clear. Earlier this year, the president was also vocal about his opposition to the Iranian government's retaliation against protesters.
"Erfan was one of 12 young men in the Alikhani Square case in Isfahan, arrested during the January 2026 uprising. Yesterday, all 12 were moved to quarantine. Today, the Islamic Republic hanged him," the journalist continued. "This is a government that is so terrified of a generation that refuses to be silent, that it executes teenagers for the act of compassion."
DON'T MISS...
Iran war likely to go on 'for quite some time' due to total 'mismatch in stakes'
US military deaths in Iran War rise to 17 as conflict casualties mount
"Say his name," she added. "Because the regime is already trying to erase him. Because his mother and father are left with nothing, not even the right to grieve loudly."
Esfandiari and Mohammadi's deaths bring the total number of executions in connection to the protests to at least 23, the Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights (IHR) reports. In total, the regime has reportedly executed at least 47 political prisoners, a stark increase from 16 around the same time last year.
In a statement about the executions, the organization's director expressed concern about the spike in deaths, arguing that the resumption of the war in Iran with the U.S. will serve as an opportunity for the Iranian government to once again crack down on dissent.
"With the breakdown of the ceasefire and the resumption of the war, we are deeply concerned that the authorities will exploit the situation to intensify the execution of political prisoners," IHR Director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam wrote in a statement.
"Hundreds of political prisoners and protesters are currently facing capital charges, and we estimate that around 100 have already been sentenced to death. The international community, and the European Union in particular, must make an immediate moratorium on executions a central issue in any dialogue or negotiations with the Islamic Republic," he added.
The recent executions come as Iran has kept up attacks against U.S. allies in the Middle East. For instance, sirens in Bahrain and Kuwait warned residents on Tuesday afternoon of incoming projectiles.
Likewise, in the Red Sea, Iran-backed Houthi rebels opened a new front against Saudi Arabia by declaring a naval blockade of the kingdom, threatening the flow of global oil supplies and trade. With the Strait of Hormuz blocked up, Saudi Arabia has been relying on a pipeline to the Red Sea to get millions of barrels of oil out to market.
The escalation has pushed oil prices higher. Benchmark Brent crude traded Tuesday above $90 a barrel and regular gasoline in the U.S. climbed to an average of $4 a gallon, keeping pressure on Americans' wallets ahead of midterm elections this fall.
Get all the latest news, entertainment, sport and lifestyle updates from our dedicated American team.
Sign up for our newsletters HERE.
