Iran's execution crisis exposes a regime in panic

Global Watch | 2026-01-05

Iran has set a grim new record in 2025, executing over 2,000 people in less than a year according to dissident groups, more than doubling the previous year's total and marking the highest execution rate since the 1980s.

While the scale of this killing spree is shocking, the underlying message is clear: this is not a demonstration of regime strength but a desperate attempt by Tehran's leadership to maintain control as its grip on power weakens.

The Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) reported in December that 2,013 Iranians were executed between January 1 and December 15, 2025, under President Masoud Pezeshkian. This figure dwarfs the 975 executions recorded by the United Nations in 2024, which was already the highest since 2015.

Among the victims was Zahra Tabari, a 67-year-old engineer and mother sentenced to death after a 10-minute sham trial for holding a banner reading "Woman, Resistance, Freedom."

Her case exemplifies how the regime is weaponizing capital punishment against ordinary citizens whose only crime was expressing dissent.

Mounting pressures

The surge in executions coincides with mounting pressures facing the Islamic Republic.

A collapsing currency, nationwide protests, factional power struggles within the regime, and the looming threat of "snapback" UN sanctions have created a perfect storm of instability.

Rather than addressing these fundamental challenges, Tehran has chosen the path of terror, using executions as a tool of political repression to silence opposition and intimidate the population.

This strategy reveals the regime's profound weakness rather than its authority. As Behnam Ben Taleblu of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies told one outlet, the Islamic Republic "understands how weak it is."

The execution spree, alongside the arrest of over 21,000 people following the 12-Day War in June, represents political repression on an unprecedented scale. When a government resorts to mass killings to maintain power, it signals that traditional methods of control have failed.

The timing of this execution surge is particularly significant. As the regime faces internal fractures and external pressure, any appearance of social leniency, including relaxed enforcement of hijab laws it is calculated to preserve the oligarchy's position in a post-Khamenei Iran.

The executions serve as a counterbalance, demonstrating to hardliners within the regime that core revolutionary principles remain intact while terrorizing the population into submission.

Worldwide implications

The United Nations in December adopted a resolution condemning Iran's execution campaign "in the strongest terms," while the European Parliament marked International Human Rights Day by calling for global action against Tehran.

Canada also recently sanctioned four individuals following protests in Mashhad, demonstrating the kind of targeted action that could be more widely adopted. Meanwhile, the United States has restored its "maximum pressure" policy, designating dozens of individuals and over 180 vessels in Iran's shadow fleet to deplete the regime's resources.

For Europe, Iran's execution spree carries implications beyond human rights concerns. The regime's increasing desperation makes it more unpredictable and potentially more dangerous in its regional activities.

A government that executes over 2,000 of its own citizens in a year is unlikely to exercise restraint in its foreign policy or nuclear ambitions. This reality should inform European approaches to Iran, conditioning all diplomatic and economic engagement on concrete improvements in human rights.