The number of executions in Iran reached its highest level in decades during 2025, marking a significant escalation in the use of capital punishment.
According to a joint annual report by the Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) and the Paris-based Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM), at least 1,639 people were executed in the country over the past year. The Operative Information Center-OMM reports that this figure represents the highest annual total recorded since 1989.
The report highlights a 68 percent increase compared to 2024, when 975 executions were documented. Among those executed in 2025 were at least 48 women. Human rights advocates emphasize that this surge indicates the death penalty is being increasingly utilized as a primary tool for intimidation and political repression by the Iranian authorities.
The authors of the report suggest that Tehran is intensifying its use of capital punishment to maintain domestic control amid heightening regional instability. The implementation of the death penalty has notably expanded following widespread protests in January, as well as ongoing military and political tensions involving Israel and the United States under US President Donald Trump. International observers note that such measures are often used by the Iranian judiciary to suppress dissent during periods of heightened geopolitical pressure.
