Iran executes three men over Karaj protest unrest, state broadcaster says

Iran carried out the executions of three men on Sunday, according to the country's national broadcaster IRIB. The men — Reza Zanganeh, Hamid Kazemi and Hassan Divand — had their death sentences approved by Iran's Supreme Court before the sentences were carried out.

IRIB said the three were convicted of taking part in what it described as operational measures against the country's security and of collaborating with Israel and the United States. They were also found guilty of involvement in armed unrest and the destruction of public facilities during protests in the city of Karaj on January 8 and 9, 2026.

The case is not an isolated one. Earlier, on April 6, Iran executed a man named Ali Fahim, who had been arrested in January during anti-government protests, per the Mizan News Agency. Authorities said Fahim was among three protesters who tried to set fire to the base of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Basij unit in eastern Tehran; seven people were arrested afterward and handed death sentences.

Iranian officials have framed the defendants in these cases as rioters acting against national security, accusing them of trying to obtain weapons and military equipment during the protests. The executions have landed as Iran's protest crackdown draws growing scrutiny from Western governments.

That pressure is already visible on paper. Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office added ten individuals and one entity to its sanctions list, including Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni Kalagari, citing violence against protesters in 2025 and 2026. The European Union, meanwhile, pushed back on Tehran's recent proclamation about EU militaries and terrorism, with a Commission spokesperson saying the bloc expects diplomatic channels to stay open.