Authorities in Iran executed at least 1,639 people in 2025, the highest annual number since 1989, two rights groups said, warning Tehran could use capital punishment even more widely after protests in January and the war with Israel and the United States.
The figure marked a 68% increase from the 975 executions recorded in 2024, according to a joint annual report by Norway-based Iran Human Rights and Paris-based Together Against the Death Penalty.
If the Islamic Republic “survives the current crisis, there is a serious risk that executions will be used even more extensively as a tool of oppression and repression,” read the report.
The report said 48 women were among those executed.
The two groups said the sharp rise pointed to a broader use of the death penalty as a tool of intimidation.
