Tehran [Iran], January 15 : Iran's deepening political crisis took on fresh global urgency this week as the country prepared to execute Erfan Soltani, a 26-year-old protester, in connection with the mass demonstrations sweeping the Islamic Republic, drawing warnings of international intervention and heightening tensions with the United States, New York Times reported.
Soltani, a shopkeeper from the city of Fardis near Tehran, was arrested early this month during nationwide protests triggered by economic hardship and political dissatisfaction. Rights groups say he was convicted on charges related to the demonstrations and sentenced to death in what critics call an extremely rapid process that denied him access to legal counsel.
Earlier, the country's chief justice, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, called for speedy trials and executions of "rioters," a term officials have used to refer to the protesters, as per Tasnim news agency.
"Those elements who beheaded people in the streets or burned people alive must be tried and punished as quickly as possible," he said. "If we don't do it fast, it won't have the same impact."
According to a family member, local authorities informed Soltani's relatives only minutes before he was due to be hanged, after being detained just days earlier. Human rights organisations described the case as a clear violation of due process, reported New York Times.
Protests in over 280 cities have continued despite a severe government crackdown that has included internet blackouts and security force actions.
International concern spiked after U.S. President Donald Trump weighed in with a stark warning to the Iranian leadership. Speaking in Washington, Trump stated he would take "very strong action" if the executions were carried out, tying U.S. policy directly to Soltani's fate and the broader repression, stated CBS.
US officials later suggested through public remarks that "the killing in Iran is stopping" and that there may be "no plan for executions", though they did not specify their sources.
Despite these statements, Iran's judiciary has signalled that it intends to pursue rapid trials and punishments for protest detainees, viewing them as threats to national stability. One senior judicial official said the government must act "quickly" to address what it calls terrorist elements within the unrest, a claim rejected by international rights groups as a pretext for political repression.
The situation has also strained regional and global relations. Several Western nations, including members of the G7, condemned possible executions and have urged restraint. European governments have issued travel advisories for their citizens in Iran amid rising fears of instability.
Iran's Foreign Ministry has countered international criticism, denying plans for hangings and asserting that there are "no plans for hanging" protesters, even as reports from inside the country suggest otherwise.
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