HRANA – As the military conflict between the United States–Israel and Iran, which began on February 28, 2026, continues, the implementation of death sentences in Iran has entered a new and deeply alarming phase, one marked by an exclusive focus on prisoners facing political and security-related charges and a noticeable acceleration in executions. During this period, at least nine political prisoners have been executed, while the confirmation of new death sentences and the transfer of several condemned prisoners to solitary confinement have sharply intensified concerns over an imminent rise in further executions.

According to HRANA, a review of available data shows that at least nine political prisoners have been executed since the start of the war. The trend began with the execution of a dual national citizen, Kourosh Keyvani, on charges of “espionage.” Just one day later, it continued with the execution of three other prisoners, Mehdi Ghasemi, Saleh Mohammadi, and Saeed Davoudi, on political-security charges.

Subsequently, two defendants linked to the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization, Akbar Daneshvar-Kar and Seyed Mohammad Taghavi-Sangdehi, were executed, followed by two other prisoners, Babak Alipour and Pouya Ghobadi, in a related case. At dawn today, another political prisoner, Amirhossein Hatami, was also hanged. At the same time, the death sentence of political defendant Mansour Jamali was upheld by the Supreme Court.

This sequence indicates that not only has the number of executions increased, but the time intervals between executions have also shortened, reflecting a rapidly accelerating pattern.

Based on the information collected, all executions carried out during this period have been tied to cases of a political and security nature, and no reports have been published of executions for non-political crimes during the same timeframe. This points to a significant shift in the pattern of death penalty implementation in the country.

Simultaneously, reports indicate a growing number of prisoners at imminent risk of execution. At least six prisoners, Vahid Bani Amerian, Abolhassan Montazer, Mohammad-Amin Biglari, Shahin Vahedparast Kaloor, Abolfazl Salehi Siavashani, and Ali Fahim, have been transferred to solitary confinement cells in Ghezel Hesar Prison, a step that in Iran’s judicial practice is generally viewed as a sign that execution is imminent. In addition, several other prisoners in different parts of the country are reportedly awaiting execution.

Taken together, these developments indicate that during wartime, the use of the death penalty has become distinctly concentrated on political and security-related cases, and this trend is continuing at an increasing pace. Such a pattern has raised serious concerns about the fate of prisoners sentenced to death and suggests that a greater number of them now face immediate danger.

While Donald Trump, the President of the United States, had previously claimed that under U.S. pressure Iran had halted the implementation of “more than 800 death sentences”, and had even expressed appreciation for that move, recent developments show that not only was such a trend not sustained, but with the outbreak of war, executions, particularly in political and security cases, have once again resumed with significant speed. This comes despite earlier warnings from U.S. officials that the continued execution of protesters could provoke a severe response. Current data, however, indicates an intensification of this trend in the recent period.

According to HRA’s annual report, at least 2,488 people, including 63 women and 2 juvenile offenders, were executed in the Iranian year 1404. Of these, 13 executions were carried out in public. During the same period, another 130 individuals, including 10 women and 1 juvenile offender, were sentenced to death. Although a significant portion of these executions were described as relating to ordinary crimes, human rights organizations have consistently warned about the use of the death penalty in political and security cases and the lack of fair trial standards in such proceedings.