Camilla Jessen
Nine members of ISIS have been executed following convictions for plotting attacks inside the country.
Iran has executed nine members of the Islamic State (IS) group who were found guilty of planning a series of terrorist attacks against civilians in the country back in 2018.
The executions were announced Tuesday by the judiciary’s official news agency, Mizan Online, and were carried out after the Iranian Supreme Court upheld the death sentences.
According to Iranian authorities, the nine individuals had plotted to infiltrate the country and orchestrate simultaneous attacks in both border regions and major cities.
2018 Clash with Revolutionary Guards Led to Arrests
According to Digi24, the arrests stem from a deadly encounter in January 2018 between the jihadist cell and the Revolutionary Guards, Iran’s elite military force.
General Mohammad Pakpour, commander of the Revolutionary Guards’ Ground Forces, said at the time that some members of the cell detonated suicide vests during the confrontation, which resulted in the deaths of three Iranian guards.
“This cell intended to infiltrate Iran and carry out simultaneous attacks on border and central cities,” Pakpour stated during the initial investigation.
The convicted individuals were detained in western Iran following the clash, and their legal proceedings extended over several years before the Supreme Court rendered its final verdict.
Mizan Online reported that the accused “benefited from a fair trial” and were convicted based on extensive evidence, confessions, and witness testimonies.
But the agency did not specify the exact date when the executions were carried out.
While Iranian authorities maintain that proper judicial procedures were followed, human rights organizations such as Amnesty International have repeatedly raised concerns about the fairness of trials in Iran, particularly in cases involving terrorism charges and capital punishment.
Continuing Crackdown on ISIS Suspects
Iran continues to report arrests of suspected IS members on a regular basis.
Just days before the executions were announced, local police arrested 13 additional individuals believed to be linked to the Islamic State during coordinated operations across four provinces.
Despite ISIS’s weakened global presence, Iranian officials assert that the group remains a persistent threat within the region.
According to organizations like Amnesty International, Iran remains one of the top countries for capital punishment worldwide, second only to China in the number of executions carried out annually.
The Islamic Republic regularly uses the death penalty against those convicted of terrorism, drug trafficking, and other serious offenses, drawing sharp criticism from international human rights advocates.