Iran executes political prisoner accused of spying for Israel

Beyond Mahsa Amini — the most internationally recognized martyr for the cause — the names of Nika Shakarami, Hadis Najafi, Sarina Esmailzadeh, Mohsen Shekari, Mohammad Hosseini and others have been engraved in the collective memory of Iranians who remember them affectionately by their first names.

Each represented a different facet of society: women demanding autonomy, teenagers daring to risk their futures, children like 10-year-old Kian Pirfalak killed by a stray bullet and young men executed for their solidarity with women's plight.

The spark: Mahsa "Jina" Amini

The protests began with the death of Mahsa "Jina" Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who was arrested by Iran’s morality police on September 13, 2022, over the state’s mandatory hijab law.

She was critically injured in custody and died days later in the hospital.

Her name became a rallying cry, her image circulated widely on social media and protest banners across Iran and beyond. Amini's innocence and tragic death resonated deeply with ordinary Iranians, making her the most enduring icon of a movement that sought not just reform but a different future.

Nika Shakarami: the young rebel

Sixteen-year-old Nika Shakarami vanished after joining a Tehran protest in the early days of the uprising. A video captured her shortly before her disappearance, standing on a trash bin, burning her headscarf and chanting “Down with the dictator" with other protesters.

Ten days later, her body was returned to her family under suspicious circumstances. Authorities claimed she fell from a building. Her relatives disputed this, saying her nose was broken and she was beaten. A BBC World report in May 2024 alleged she was sexually assaulted and murdered.

Nika was known for her creativity and love of the arts — poetry, drawing, and music. She dreamed of becoming a professional singer. Outspoken and spirited, her short life of artistic aspiration and teenage defiance became a symbol of how ordinary young Iranians risked everything for freedom.

Hadis Najafi: 22-year-old TikToker

Hadis Najafi, 22, was shot multiple times in the face, neck, chest, abdomen and hand during a protest rally in Karaj in central Iran. Her family was pressured to announce she had died of natural causes.

Najafi frequently posted on TikTok and Instagram, sharing glimpses of her daily life. In a video recorded before she was killed, she said: “I like to think that when I look back on this a few years later, I’ll be pleased I joined the protest.”

Her mother told Iran International that Hadis joined the protests both to mourn Mahsa Amini and to oppose the theocracy's mandatory Islamic dress code for women. Before leaving home, Hadis said she hoped that years later when change comes to Iran she could look back and be glad she had taken part.

Sarina Esmailzadeh: freedom-loving teenager

Sixteen-year-old Sarina Esmailzadeh from Karaj was a bright, curious teenager with broad interests. She loved cooking, K-pop music and making playful videos for her YouTube and TikTok channels.

She spoke candidly about justice and freedom. In one post she asked: “What can people expect from their own country? Welfare, welfare, welfare. Nothing else. Why am I not like that teenager in New York who doesn’t have to worry about the compulsory hijab or economic hardship?”

Her online presence, blending humor, music and political awareness, made her a powerful symbol of the courage and aspirations of Iran’s Gen Z.

Mehrshad Shahidi: a voice silenced too soon

Security forces beat 19-year-old chef Mehrshad Shahidi to death with batons at a Revolutionary Guards detention center in Arak, a day before his twentieth birthday in October 2022. Authorities pressured his family to say he died of a heart attack.

Thousands attended his funeral, chanting anti-government slogans. Mehrshad was already head chef at a local restaurant, studying hospitality at university, and a decorated athlete in gymnastics, volleyball, and swimming.

Authorities never tried those accused of his killing, instead threatening his family with destroying his grave — a site still visited by mourners — if they held public commemorations.

Shekari and Hosseini: death sentences for defiance

Mohsen Shekari, 23, and Mohammad Hosseini, 39, were among the first protesters executed after closed-door trials in late 2022 and early 2023. Their deaths, intended as deterrence, became instead rallying cries.

Shekari, a café worker and self-taught guitarist, was arrested during a Tehran protest. Hosseini, a martial arts champion working on a chicken farm, was arrested after attending the memorial for Hadis Najafi in Karaj, where security forces shot dead three protesters.

Shekari was arrested at a protest rally in the west of the capital. Hosseini was arrested a day after the crackdown on a remembrance ceremony for Hadis Najafi in Karaj during which three protesters were shot dead by security forces.

Both were accused of injuring Basij militia members. They denied the charges, and rights groups reported their televised confessions were extracted under torture.

Their executions underscored the movement’s human cost — ordinary men defying extraordinary repression and paying with their lives.

“No rational and patriotic Iranian would ever believe the claim of friendship and sympathy by a regime with a long history of meddling in Iran’s affairs and committing crimes against Iranians,” the foreign ministry said in its statement.

It cited grievances ranging from a CIA-orchestrated 1953 coup and US support for Saddam Hussein during the 1980–1988 war to the downing of an Iranian passenger jet in 1988, years of sanctions and joining Israel in attacks on nuclear sites in June.

Tehran also argued that the US, as Israel’s main supporter and a country it described as steeped in racism, has “no credibility to speak on human rights.” It vowed that Iranians “will never forget or forgive” America’s actions.

Mahsa "Jina" Amini, 22, died in morality police custody on September 16 2022, igniting nationwide protests under the slogan “Woman, Life Freedom” that remain a rallying point for calls for systemic change in Iran.

In its message on the eve of the anniversary, the US State Department said it “stands with the people of Iran in their calls for dignity and a better life,” adding, “Mahsa’s name will never be forgotten” and accusing Tehran’s leaders of “crimes against humanity.”

The statement charged that Iran’s rulers had squandered the nation’s wealth on exporting ideology abroad while leaving citizens to endure “shortages of water and electricity, poverty, and crumbling infrastructure.”

In Larijani's meeting with the Crown Prince, discussions focused on strategic regional issues and the situation in Islamic countries, with both sides exchanging views on the future of the region.

The meetings come amid heightened regional tensions following an Israeli airstrike in Doha on September 9 which targeted Hamas leaders. Qatar and other Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, condemned the attack as a violation of sovereignty.

Larijani and Bin Salman also explored ways to expand economic cooperation between Tehran and Riyadh, including resolving obstacles facing traders and examining opportunities for joint investments, Iranian official media reported.

Larijani later held a meeting with Saudi Defense Minister Khalid Bin Salman, during which both sides discussed prospects for bilateral cooperation in the defense field as part of broader efforts to consolidate ties between the two countries, according to IRGC-affiliated Fars News.

Following talks with Larijani, Khalid bin Salman said he had reviewed bilateral relations and regional developments.

“In my meeting, we discussed Saudi-Iranian relations and addressed a number of issues of mutual interest, as well as regional developments and efforts to achieve security and stability,” the Kingdom's defense minister said.

Khalid bin Salman in April paid a rare visit to Tehran, where he met with Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. It was the first time Khamenei had received a Saudi official since 2006.

Guterres said building trust through dialogue is essential, speaking in response to a question from Iran International's reporter at the UN on Tuesday.

“My appeal to Iran and to the other powers is to use diplomacy and to create the conditions of trust in order to be able to avoid it,” UN Secretary General said.

Guterres added that he has been in contact with both sides and aimed to facilitate discussions.

“Of course, offering my good offices, but it all depends on the diplomatic efforts that are made in order to establish the trust that is needed for the snapback to be avoided,” Guterres said.

Last month, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom triggered the UN snapback sanctions mechanism in a partly lapsed 2015 international nuclear deal with Iran.

The move initiated a 30-day window for diplomacy before sanctions are due to take effect on October 18.

Iran-IAEA cooperation

One of the demands of the three European countries is the immediate resumption of full work between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear watchdog.

Iran and the IAEA signed an agreement in Cairo last week aimed at eventually resuming nuclear inspections in Iran. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi on Monday urged Iran to immediately implement the deal to resume inspections.

Iran's nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami on Tuesday criticized European powers for adopting an even more bellicose rhetoric against Tehran after the Cairo deal.

"From the very moment the agreement was signed between our esteemed foreign minister and the IAEA director general, we witnessed new and harsher positions from European countries," he told reporters in Vienna.

The Europeans also seek unconditional renewed talks with the United States severed since Israeli and US attacks on Iran in June.

Last month, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei rejected calls by Tehran moderates for direct negotiations with the United States, insisting that Washington’s hostility cannot be resolved through talks.

"The Iranian regime must focus on addressing the needs of its people instead of engaging in destructive war rhetoric," the State Department said in a post on its Persian-language account on X.

"After years of economic hardship and international isolation, the people of Iran deserve peace and prosperity."

Iranian officials, especially hardliners and military leaders, have repeatedly mooted striking Israel and the United States if attacked again following their surprise military campaign in June. Officials have also issued menacing rhetoric to dissidents abroad.

Last month, Iran's top security official Ali Larijani said the country must remain prepared for a fresh round of conflict as the war with Israel is not over despite a US-brokered ceasefire that put an end to a 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June.

The Islamic Republic needs to "create capacities so that the enemy will not be tempted to take action again," Larijani said in an interview with the Supreme Leader's official website.

His remarks were the latest in a series of sharp comments from leaders on both sides, with Israel’s army chief vowing readiness for further strikes and Iran’s General Staff warning of “a far stronger response” to any future attacks by the United States or Israel.

Meanwhile Israeli officials have frequently asserted that their military quarrel with Iran is not yet finished and continue to cite Iran as an alleged existential threat.

Iran’s navy test-fired a range of cruise missiles during large-scale drills last month, and the defense ministry warning of stronger response in any new war with Israel.

"Any miscalculation in the region will be met with a very strong response from Iran’s powerful armed forces,” it said in a statement.

"Senior officials of the regime have chosen to distract from internal challenges by instilling fear of external threats," the State Department said in its post.

"Iran’s leadership should instead prioritize actions that restore economic stability, improve living conditions, and rebuild trust with both its citizens and the international community."

Iran’s currency, the rial, now trades at nearly one million to the dollar, having lost almost a third of its value since Donald Trump won the US presidential election last November.

Iran faces one of the highest inflation rates in the region. According to the International Monetary Fund's estimates, the annual inflation rate has averaged above 42% since 2020, sending costs of living soaring.

Sanctions, corruption and economic mismanagement have contributed to widespread economic hardship and market instability as Iran's currency the rial has lost over 90% of its value since US sanctions were reimposed in 2018.

A poll by Iran's leading economic newspaper Donya-ye Eqtesad last month reported that just under 90% of Iranians described their level of satisfaction with government economic policies as low or very low.