Iran Hits Grim Record for State Executions as Nuclear Talks with US Resume

Iran has set a chilling new record, executing 1,051 people since President Masoud Pezeshkian took office on July 8, 2024—a spike that’s making international observers break out in a cold sweat just as nuclear negotiations with the US pick up steam again.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) reports this marks a more than 20% increase in executions compared to 2023, when 853 Iranians met the same fate. So much for campaign promises: Pezeshkian, who cozied up to moderates and reformists after the 2022 Mahsa Amini protests, is now presiding over the regime’s deadliest year in decades.

During his campaign, Pezeshkian openly acknowledged the regime’s growing unpopularity, citing "our behavior, high prices, our treatment of girls, and because we censor the internet." The irony is hard to miss, as his presidency has seen an even greater crackdown on dissent, especially among those accused of drug offenses and involvement in past protests. Women and minors are bearing a disproportionate brunt—Amnesty International recently highlighted that girls as young as 9 and boys from 15 can face the death penalty in Iran.

The NCRI didn’t mince words, calling the surge in executions "savagery and brutality," claiming Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is using fear tactics to stave off an uprising. Amnesty International adds that at least 73 juvenile offenders were executed between 2005 and 2015, and says the real number of minors on death row is likely much higher than reported.

Meanwhile, the US is back at the negotiating table with Tehran, hoping to revive a nuclear deal even as calls intensify to factor Iran’s human rights record into any agreement. Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the NCRI, urged the international community to make any dealings with Iran contingent on halting executions and torture. She wants the regime’s human rights abuses sent to the UN Security Council and its leaders prosecuted for crimes against humanity.

Rajavi isn’t just looking outside for help—she’s called on Iranian citizens, especially the youth, to join the "No to Execution" protest movement. But that’s a risky move: students who oppose the regime now face increased repression from State Security Forces, as the government cracks down on what it calls "cultural infiltration" and "hostile temptations"—which really just means anyone who dares to dream of change.