AS diplomatic efforts to end the United States-Israel war on Iran remain uncertain, Iranian authorities have intensified internal security measures across the country, particularly in the capital, Tehran, in what officials describe as efforts to strengthen national unity and safeguard the country against external threats.
Over the past few weeks, security agencies and the religious morality police have tightened restrictions, intensified arrests and imposed harsher punishments on individuals and businesses accused of violating regulations governing practices considered immoral or un-Islamic by the state.
In their drive to reinforce what they described as the country’s “internal front and unity,” several clerical, political, military and security officials have repeatedly urged citizens to “stand united” in the face of foreign aggression while demonstrating declining tolerance for actions perceived as dissent or non-compliance. The morality police have also intensified enforcement of compulsory hijab rules, business closures, and restrictions affecting students, lawyers and other groups.
Alongside the ongoing war and worsening economic conditions, Iran continues to grapple with the aftermath of the nationwide anti-establishment protests that erupted in January, during which thousands of people were reportedly killed, while many others were arrested and executed.
President Masoud Pezeshkian, during a televised interview released on Wednesday night, described the January unrest as “bitter and unforgettable.”
During the protests, Pezeshkian accused United States President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of orchestrating demonstrations across several Iranian cities as part of efforts to destabilise the Islamic Republic.
Iran’s security apparatus has since combined executions with mass arrests, seizure of assets, internet restrictions and tighter control of media activities.
Authorities have also maintained a heavy presence of armed security personnel and pro-government supporters on the streets of Tehran and other cities at night to reinforce pro-state messaging and maintain security visibility.
The Iranian government has officially described the January protests as an attempted coup allegedly orchestrated by the United States and Israel. According to the authorities, operatives linked to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Israel’s Mossad infiltrated protesters to incite violence, attack government facilities and destroy public property. Former United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also stated in a social media post that “Mossad agents” were involved in the demonstrations.
The government maintains that 3,117 people were killed during the unrest, mostly on the nights of January 8 and 9, while rejecting higher casualty figures published by international rights organisations and United States officials.
In Isfahan’s Alikhani Square, one of the locations where protests occurred in January, authorities publicly executed two young men on July 28 by hanging them from a crane and scaffolding under heavy security deployment.
The two men were convicted on charges including moharebeh (waging war against God) and “corruption on Earth” over alleged involvement in arson attacks and the deaths of several security personnel during the nationwide unrest.
Residents and relatives reportedly attempted to stop the execution but were forcibly dispersed. Videos circulated on social media appeared to show gunshots being fired during the incident, although the judiciary denied reports that anyone was killed.
Two additional young men linked to the same case have already been executed. Meanwhile, the United States-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said another defendant narrowly escaped execution after suffering a stroke hours before the scheduled hanging but remains under threat of execution.
Overall, eight defendants still face execution in the 16-person Isfahan case, while similar prosecutions are ongoing in Isfahan Province and other parts of Iran, many of which authorities have not publicly disclosed.
On Wednesday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, disclosed that at least 56 people had been executed on national security-related charges since March 19, including 27 individuals linked to the January nationwide protests. He added that more than 100 others remain at risk of execution on similar charges.
Iranian authorities insist that the executions are necessary to deter activities viewed as threats to national security, particularly amid what they describe as attempts by the United States and Israel to overthrow the Islamic Republic. Officials argue that the executions serve as punishment for the killing of security personnel, acts of arson and destruction committed during the protests.
Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei has repeatedly stressed the importance of swift punishment, declaring in January that “timely and undelayed implementation of punishments for rioters is one of the elements of deterrence.”
The United Nations and several international human rights organisations have continued to demand an end to the executions. According to the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights (IHR), executions in the country increased by 68 per cent to more than 1,600 in 2025, the highest figure recorded since 1989, shortly after the end of the Iran-Iraq War, when large numbers of dissidents were executed.
Beyond national security offences, executions in Iran also cover convictions involving murder, drug trafficking, rape and blasphemy.
Rights organisations have also alleged that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Courts, which handle security-related cases, conduct proceedings behind closed doors while defendants are subjected to abuses and their families pressured into silence and discouraged from speaking publicly.
“As national laws currently stand, it is impossible to take part in any protest critical of the State without risking reprisals and persecution,” seven United Nations independent experts and special rapporteurs stated in a joint statement issued last week.
“The cycle will only be broken when civic space opens up and freedom of peaceful assembly and expression is guaranteed,” the experts added. “The rationale appears clear: Instil fear across society, deter future demonstrations, and silence dissent. Yet repression only breeds further dissent.”
Iranian military and security officials have repeatedly warned that protests during wartime would only assist what they describe as enemies of the state.
Amid growing opposition to the executions and other security measures, the Tehran Prosecutor’s Office last week opened criminal cases against several unnamed online users accused of expressing support for those executed over the January protests.
State television presenter Mohsen Azadi also publicly criticised and insulted former Deputy Culture Minister Nadereh Rezaei after she posted a message on social media arguing that executions only fuel hatred.
Government officials and state-affiliated media routinely refer to many of the tens of thousands arrested during the January protests as “terrorists” and “rioters,” accusing them of serving United States and Israeli interests.
Hamidreza Moghaddamfar, a senior media adviser to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), described the January protests during a state television appearance as a carefully planned United States-Israeli “cognitive war” intended to maximise casualties and trigger American military intervention.
“In addition to the main elements of dissent, parts of the field belonged to emotions-driven youth whose actions, even if unintentionally, amounted to treason,” he said, while also blaming celebrities and business figures who expressed support for protesters on social media.
Citing security concerns, Iranian authorities shut down global internet access for three weeks during the January protests before imposing another internet blackout lasting three months following the outbreak of the current war on February 28.