Iran has reopened Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Airport, with the first flights departing on Saturday to Istanbul and Muscat on domestic airlines, state media reported, amid an ongoing ceasefire.
Judiciary-affiliated media identified him as Erfan Kiani and said his death sentence had been upheld by the Supreme Court before being carried out early in the morning.
Authorities said Kiani led a group in the central city of Isfahan that carried out acts including damaging public and private property, setting fires, using Molotov cocktails, blocking roads and attacking security forces during the unrest.
State media described him as a key figure in efforts to create “fear and chaos,” framing the case as part of what officials say is a broader campaign against foreign-backed activity.
The execution comes amid an ongoing crackdown following the January protests, with several people executed in recent weeks on similar charges. Earlier this month, authorities executed two men accused of attempting to storm a military site and access weapons, while another man was put to death over allegations he set fire to a mosque during the unrest.
Rights groups, including Amnesty International, have repeatedly raised concerns over the use of capital punishment in protest-related cases, saying defendants are often convicted in unfair trials and based on confessions obtained under duress.
Jafar Tafakori, 57, was arrested in Colombia at the request of US authorities and is accused of arranging the movement of mainly Iranian nationals through South and Central America and Mexico to the US border.
According to the indictment, the alleged scheme ran from late 2022 to mid-2024 and involved providing transport, shelter and, in some cases, airline tickets for migrants, charging fees of up to $30,000 per person.
Prosecutors said migrants were directed to enter the United States illegally once they reached the border. Tafakori faces one count of conspiracy and five counts of bringing migrants into the United States for financial gain.
If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison per count, with a potential mandatory minimum sentence if found guilty on multiple counts.
US officials said the arrest reflects efforts to target transnational smuggling networks operating across multiple countries.