Iran International
At least 711 people have been executed in Iran since January, prompting female political prisoners at Evin prison in Tehran to call on authorities to stop issuing death sentences.
Norway-based Iranian rights group Hengaw on Saturday said 13 of the 711 executions the group has documented this year were political prisoners. The group also documented 21 fatalities in Iran’s prisons in 2024, including four deaths of political detainees and eight deaths attributed to torture.
“What we are experiencing is a tsunami of executions; it’s shocking and horrifying,” women’s rights activist Mina Khani from Hengaw told Iran International English on Saturday.
Khani expressed concern that, if executions continue at this rate, Iran’s death toll could approach 1,000 by year’s end.
“People at the height of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement could never have imagined that, in the shadow of a regional war partly driven by the Islamic Republic, there would be such killings,” Khani said.
Female prisoners urge end to death sentences
Death sentences continue to provoke resistance from political prisoners and activists. On Saturday, a group of female detainees in Tehran’s Evin Prison issued a letter calling on the public to prevent the Islamic Republic from “sacrificing lives in its vendetta against freedom and equality movements.”
Last week, Iran’s judiciary issued death sentences for six protestors accused of allegedly killing a government Basij militia member during the 2022 protests—a conviction that rights groups, including the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI), have condemned for due process violations, torture-induced confessions, and insufficient evidence.
Rights groups say there are currently 42 political prisoners at risk of execution across Iran's prisons.
Student jailed for opposing dissident rapper's death sentence
In a further sign of Iran’s crackdown on dissent, student activist Khashayar Sefidi was transferred to Evin Prison on Saturday to serve a one-year sentence. Sefidi, who had opposed the death sentence of dissident rapper Toomaj Salehi, was charged with “propaganda against the Islamic Republic.” In a video before his transfer on Saturday he said, "I felt it was my duty, as a member of the community and a citizen, to protest against Toomaj Salehi’s death sentence and not remain silent in the face of this injustice."
Salehi, detained in September 2021 for releasing his protest song “Mouse Hole,” was arrested again in October 2022 during the Woman, Life, Freedom protests. Although his death sentence was overturned by Iran’s Supreme Court in June, Salehi remains imprisoned.
Sefidi’s case reflects a broader pattern of repression, as Iran’s judiciary continues to punish those protesting against executions. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi was recently given an additional six-month prison sentence after she protested the execution of another political prisoner in Evin's women’s ward, according to the Free Narges Coalition. The group reported that Mohammadi, already serving a lengthy sentence, was charged on October 19 with “disobeying and resisting orders” after her August protest.
Iran hangs 12 in one day amid rise in drug-related executions
Iran’s execution spree intensified on Wednesday as at least ten individuals, including a woman, an Afghan national, and two Kurdish citizens, were hanged at Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj on drug and murder charges, Iran Human Rights (IHR) reported. The executions took place amid protests by family members and opponents outside the prison, which were met with a crackdown by security forces.
IHR warned that drug-related executions have surged in recent years, with 2023 alone showing an 84 percent increase compared to 2022, rising from 256 to 471 cases.
According to Amnesty International, Iran carried out 853 executions in 2023, marking the highest number in eight years. Amnesty International noted that 64 percent of the executions in 2023 were for crimes that did not warrant the death penalty under international law, including drug-related offences, robbery, and espionage.
Globally, a total of 1,153 executions were recorded last year, with Iran responsible for 74% of these and Saudi Arabia for 15%, according to rights group Amnesty International.
Earlier, when questioned about the issue, a representative from Iran's UN Mission in New York responded, "We have no comment on this matter," according to Iranian state media on Friday.
The foreign ministry spokesman who issued the denial on Saturday, according to the government news website IRNA, did not comment further except expressing his surprise at the "extensive" media coverage.
The initial report raised significant questions about President-elect Donald Trump's Iran policy, specifically whether he plans to intensify pressure on Tehran or pursue dialogue to ease tensions in the Middle East.
The Associated Press, quoting an unnamed American official, confirmed that the talks, held on November 12, were requested by the Islamic Republic, while the initial report had said the request came from Musk.
According to reports, the discussion spanned key geopolitical issues, including Iran’s nuclear program, its regional alliances with proxies, and the possibility of reducing tensions with the United States.
“The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a non-US governmental meeting, said no immediate decisions were taken by either side. The official said the Iranians sought the meeting with Musk, the world’s richest man, and that it did not take place at the Iranian mission to the UN,” wrote AP on Saturday.
The New York Times, which first broke the story, presented a slightly different account, saying Musk himself initiated the meeting, held at a location chosen by the Iranian side.
The official also told AP that no concrete agreements emerged, and both governments have refrained from commenting on the discussions.
Neither Elon Musk nor President-elect Donald Trump's team has refuted the report, indicating that it could be an early move by the incoming administration to establish communication and engage with the Islamic Republic.
Divided reactions in Tehran
In Iran, the meeting has provoked sharply contrasting reactions. The ultra-hardline Kayhan newspaper financed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's office, overseen by Hossein Shariatmadari, a representative of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, vehemently opposed the talks. In an editorial, Kayhan dismissed the meeting as outside the authority of Iranian officials to pursue, especially given Musk’s ties to Trump. The paper wrote:
“Based on all legal principles, the blood of General Qasem Soleimani remains on the hands of Trump and some members of his administration. No one in Iran can absolve the criminal Trump or provide guarantees to the American side that the perpetrators of the martyrdom of Soleimani will not be punished.”
Ahmad Zeidabadi, a reformist commentator, responded to Kayhan saying, “Kayhan's opposition to the meeting between Elon Musk and the representative of the Islamic Republic in New York is completely natural, as this event took place during the presidency of Masoud Pezeshkian!”
If this event had occurred during the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or the late Ebrahim Raisi, added Zeidabadi, “Kayhan would have presented it as a diplomatic masterpiece or an unprecedented victory and, in response to potential criticisms, would have written: ‘The vile critics and opponents cannot bear to see the success of the government!’”
Meanwhile, Sobh-e-No, a newspaper aligned with Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, took a more measured tone. It highlighted the potential benefits of Musk’s close relationship with Trump.
“Musk’s unofficial role could complement Trump’s unconventional diplomatic strategies, offering a chance to bypass traditional government structures,” Sobh-e-No argued, pointing to Musk’s ability to leverage his influence with the incoming administration.
The reformist daily Ham Mihan highlighted that "the strategy of the Iranian diplomatic team is on track and has received a positive and reciprocal response from the American side."
And, Sazandegi, another reformist publication, viewed the meeting as a sign of Iran engaging in covert diplomacy with the United States.
Musk’s role as a diplomatic outsider
The meeting shows Musk’s expanding presence in global geopolitics, an unusual role for a figure best known for his business ventures. His close ties to Trump have positioned him as a potential intermediary in high-stakes negotiations.
Trump’s communications director, Steven Cheung, declined to confirm the meeting, reflecting the cautious approach both sides are taking in managing the fallout.
Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for Trump’s transition team, emphasized the administration’s focus on restoring US leadership on the global stage.
“The American people re-elected President Trump because they trust him to lead our country and restore peace through strength around the world. When he returns to the White House, he will take the necessary action to do just that,” she said.
Uncertain outcomes
While the meeting - now denied by Tehran - hints at exploratory efforts to address decades-long hostilities between Iran and the US, the practical implications remain unclear. Iranian unnamed officials in interviews with The New York Times described the talks as “good news,” but no immediate breakthroughs were announced.
For now, the diplomatic overture is a reflection of both the entrenched challenges and the rare opportunities for engagement between the two nations.
Musk, who has not commented publicly on the meeting, continues to shape his evolving role in US policy under Trump’s leadership.