As diplomatic efforts to end the United States-Israel war on Iran remain uncertain, Iranian authorities have significantly tightened internal security controls. In their attempts to strengthen the internal front and unity, numerous clerical, political, and military-security officials have emphasised the need to stand united in the face of foreign aggression, while simultaneously showing a declining tolerance for any perceived dissent.
Along with the ongoing war and persistent economic malaise, the country remains overshadowed by the anti-establishment nationwide protests that erupted in January. During this period, thousands were killed and many more were arrested or executed. President Masoud Pezeshkian described these events as bitter and unforgettable during a televised interview released on Wednesday night.
During the protests, Pezeshkian accused US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of orchestrating demonstrations across multiple Iranian cities to destabilise the Islamic Republic. The government maintains that armed agents of spy agencies, specifically the CIA and Mossad, were posing among protesters to ramp up violence, attack government offices, and damage public property. Former US officials, including ex-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, claimed in social media posts that Mossad agents were involved in the unrest.
The government reports that 3,117 people were killed, mostly during the nights of January 8 and 9, though it refutes the significantly higher casualty figures raised by international rights groups and US officials. The state’s security apparatus has combined these lethal crackdowns with a wave of arrests, asset seizures, and strict internet and media controls to consolidate power.
In Isfahan’s Alikhani Square, where citizens had protested in January, two young men were publicly hanged by authorities on July 28 from a crane and scaffolding erected amid a heavy security presence. Their charges included moharebeh, or waging war against God, and corruption on Earth, linked to alleged involvement in arson and the deaths of several security personnel during the nationwide unrest. The judiciary has denied reports that any innocent bystanders were killed during these operations.
Families and residents attempted to interrupt the public execution but were forcibly dispersed by security forces. Videos circulating on social media appear to show the intensity of the state’s response. Two more young men have already been executed in the same case, with the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reporting that a third individual has so far avoided being put to death. Overall, eight people still face execution in this 16-defendant Isfahan case alone, with similar cases ongoing in other provinces across Iran.
United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk stated on Wednesday that at least 56 people have been executed on national security-related charges in recent months. Turk added that more than 100 people currently face the risk of execution on similar charges. The UN and various international human rights organisations have called for an immediate halt to these executions, which, according to the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) NGO, increased by 68 percent to more than 1,600 people executed in 2025. That figure represents the highest rate since 1989, shortly after the Iran-Iraq War.
In addition to national security, the offences resulting in capital punishment range from murder to drug-related crimes, rape, and blasphemy. Rights groups have noted that Islamic revolutionary courts, which handle security-related cases, often lack transparency and due process. Judiciary chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei has emphasised that speed is of the essence in handing out sentences, stating in January that timely and decisive action is required to maintain order.
Beyond the courts, security forces and the religious morality police have intensified restrictions for businesses and individuals deemed noncompliant with regulations on practices viewed by the state as immoral or un-Islamic. The morality police are actively enforcing the compulsory hijab, ordering business closures, and exerting pressure on students, lawyers, and activists. Some individuals were told they were not adhering to Islamic norms, meaning they or their customers were not observing the compulsory dress code imposed by law since the 1979 revolution.
State media has maintained that many of these closures are linked to guild violations or social security promotion. Several gyms were closed, including one in Bandar Anzali, for mixed-gender attendance and the alleged promotion of Western culture. According to local media and international rights groups, a large number of students, teachers, actors, writers, and minorities have been targeted by these state controls over recent weeks and months.
The Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations, one of the few grassroots organisations still operating inside Iran, reported that numerous students were summoned or arrested based on security-related charges. The rationale for this crackdown appears clear: to instil fear across society, deter future demonstrations, and silence dissent. Our shared pain must not get lost amid the bustle of everyday life, the council noted in a recent message.
Iranian authorities continue to argue that these measures are necessary to deter acts perceived as threats to national security, particularly as the US and Israel look to exploit internal divisions. By keeping heavily armed security forces and pro-establishment voices on the streets of Tehran and other cities at night, the government aims to maintain a facade of stability while continuing its campaign against those it labels as enemies of the state.
On Wednesday, United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement that at least 56 people have been executed on national security-related charges since March 19, including 27 in cases linked to the nationwi
“As national laws currently stand, it is impossible to take part in any protest critical of the State without risking reprisals and persecution,” seven international UN experts and special rapporteurs said in a statement
“This cycle will only be broken when civic space opens up and freedom of peaceful assembly and expression is guaranteed,” they said.
On Wednesday, United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement that at least 56 people have been executed on national security-related charges since March 19, including 27 in cases linked to the nationwide protests in January.
“As national laws currently stand, it is impossible to take part in any protest critical of the State without risking reprisals and persecution,” seven international UN experts and special rapporteurs said in a statement last week.
Yet repression only breeds further dissent.”
Faced with increasing expressions of opposition to the executions and other security measures, the Tehran prosecutor’s office last week opened cases against unspecified online users accused of supporting those who were executed over the protests.
State television presenter Mohsen Azadi denounced and insulted former Deputy Culture Minister Nadereh Rezaei after she posted a message online arguing that execution sows hatred.
Hamidreza Moghaddamfar, a senior media adviser to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in January described the protests on state television as a carefully prepared US-Israeli “cognitive war” that aimed to deliberately maximise casualties to trigger a US military intervention.
“In addition to the main elements of dissent, parts of the field belonged to emotions-driven youth whose actions, even if unintentionally, amounted to treason,” he said about the street protests, also blaming celebrities or businesspeople who supported protesters online.
Raising security concerns, the authorities also shut down the global internet for three weeks during the protests, and then for three months at the start of the current war on February 28.
Some connectivity has been restored since, but the internet is slow, and most global messaging services and websites remain blocked by the state.
In recent weeks, dozens of businesses and venues, as well as online pages and shops, have been shuttered by the authorities.
In Tehran’s central Sanaei area, popular cafes where young men and women gathered in large numbers were temporarily forced shut in recent weeks.
Cafes and restaurants have also been closed by authorities in Mashhad, Isfahan, Yazd, Rasht and other cities, despite the fact that the country is dealing with an exacerbating economic crisis brought on by a mix of local mismanagement and corruption, years of harsh US sanctions, two wars and naval blockades.
Opposition groups say many bookstores in Tehran and the northern city of Babol were sealed by judicial order over the past week, while private cultural centres organising art and music events were suspended and had their Instagram pages shut down.
The Shargh reformist newspaper reported that a number of dissident students were doxxed after anonymous Telegram channels allegedly published their identity information, addresses and family phone numbers.
Last week, prominent actor Reza Kianian reposted an Instagram story shared by thousands in opposition to the January protest killings and the ongoing executions.
“I cannot pretend that everything is normal.