Iran Accelerates Death Sentences in Mass Crackdown as Protests Surge

Iran vowed fast-track trials for people arrested during a massive wave of protests, following President Donald Trump’s threat of “very strong action” if the Islamic Republic proceeded with hangings.

In Tehran, authorities held a funeral ceremony for over 100 members of the security forces and other “martyrs” killed in demonstrations, which officials have labeled as “riots” while accusing protesters of waging “acts of terror.”

The protest movement across Iran, initially sparked by economic grievances, has evolved into one of the biggest challenges to the clerical leadership since it took power in 1979. Demonstrators have defied authorities’ zero-tolerance for dissent by gathering nationwide, even as officials claim they have regained control.

Iran’s judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei stated on a visit to a prison holding protest detainees that “if a person burned someone, beheaded someone and set them on fire then we must do our work quickly,” in comments broadcast by state television. Iranian news agencies also reported he had spent five hours in Tehran’s prison examining cases. Footage showed the judiciary chief seated before an Iranian flag in a large, ornate room, interrogating a prisoner accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at a park.

U.S. State Department X accounts confirmed 26-year-old protester Erfan Soltani had been sentenced to death on Wednesday, noting “Erfan is the first protester to be sentenced to death, but he won’t be the last,” and that over 10,600 Iranians have been arrested.

Rights groups accuse Iranian authorities of fatally shooting protesters and obscuring the crackdown’s scale through an internet blackout imposed January 8. Internet monitoring group Netblocks reported the blackout had lasted 132 hours by Wednesday. Verified social media videos showed bodies lined up at Tehran’s Kahrizak morgue, wrapped in black bags, with families searching for loved ones.

Iranian prosecutors have indicated they will press capital charges of “waging war against God” on detainees. State media reported hundreds of arrests, including a foreign national detained for espionage.

At a Wednesday funeral ceremony in Tehran, thousands waved Islamic Republic flags as prayers were recited for the dead at Tehran University. Banners reading “Death to America!” and images of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were visible among attendees. A social media post referencing Trump’s 2024 assassination attempt appeared during rallies, captioned: “This time it will not miss the target.”

An Iraqi computer scientist who returned to Baghdad from Iran described protesters in Tehran facing heavy military presence and police firing rubber bullets. Supreme Leader Khamenei, aged 86 and in power since 1989, has recently faced challenges including a six-week conflict with Israel. Analysts caution that the theocratic system is unlikely to collapse immediately due to the Revolutionary Guard Corps’ strong control over the Islamic revolution.