Iran Executes Detainee Over January Anti-Regime Protests

Iran's judiciary announced on Saturday the execution of Siavash Jamshidi Kheirabadi, who was arrested during January protests and accused of shooting at police. The execution is part of an ongoing crackdown by the Islamic Republic against participants in widespread anti-government demonstrations.

According to the judiciary, Kheirabadi fired at least three shots at police on January 8. He was apprehended two days later in Shahrekord, southwestern Iran, with a pistol. Authorities also accused him of communicating online with individuals to organize "anti-security" activities and seeking payment for a "mission," without specifying the alleged orchestrator.

The anti-regime protests began on December 28, 2025, initially sparked by economic hardships, but escalated into widespread demonstrations demanding an end to the clerical rule.

Iran has blamed armed groups and elements supported by the United States and Israel for involvement in the protests and for instigating some of the accompanying violence. When asked by a reporter on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings on September 25 about the regime's execution of Iranian citizens, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded only with a smile.

Efrat Lahtar, a reporter for Fox News Digital, posted a video of the exchange on X, questioning Araghchi, "How do you describe yourselves as victims of terrorism while you have executed more than 900 of your own people?" Lahtar's question followed remarks by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at the UN General Assembly, where he accused U.S. President Donald Trump of "bullying" the Islamic Republic and claimed the regime was a "victim of terrorism."