Iran hangs Ali-Sina Mostafavi over Kerman attacks during the war with US and Israel
Iran hanged Ali-Sina Mostafavi on Wednesday, 14 October, after the Supreme Court upheld his death sentence for armed attacks in Kerman, judiciary-linked agency Mizan reported.
The execution
Iran hanged Ali-Sina Mostafavi on Wednesday morning, 14 October 2026, according to Mizan, a news agency linked to the judiciary. Mizan said the Supreme Court had upheld a death sentence first imposed by a court of first instance before the hanging was carried out. Mostafavi was convicted over armed attacks in the city of Kerman, which the authorities placed in the context of the war launched by the United States and Israel. Europa Press reported that the attacks took place in March and April, while the joint offensive began in February. SIC Notícias described him as a 38-year-old mountaineer from Kerman.
- Mass anti-government protests break out in Iran
- United States and Israel launch a joint attack on Iran
- Armed attacks in Kerman cited in the conviction
- Further Kerman attacks cited in the conviction
- Dadban warns the execution may be imminent
- Mostafavi hanged, according to Mizan
The charges
Mizan said Mostafavi carried out several armed attacks in Kerman that wounded several people, including a girl. After a search of his hideout, authorities said they seized several firearms, 246 cartridges and 30 Molotov cocktails. The agency also said messages on his phone showed he was willing to attack Kerman airport, and that he had reportedly attempted two further attacks on a police post on the road between Kerman and Mahan. Mizan added that he filmed sites hit during the offensive and sent the footage to media it described as opposition-linked. The judiciary also accused him of 'moharebeh', which it describes as 'war against God', an offence that carries the death penalty, and of belonging to a monarchist network that it links to Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the shah deposed in 1979. La Libre reported that the judiciary's statement gave no dates for his arrest or his trial.
Wider wave of executions
Executions linked to the war and to the anti-government protests that began in January have been rising. Notícias ao Minuto reported that Iran has accelerated executions since the war began on 28 February, particularly of people convicted over alleged ties to Israel or over taking part in the January protests. SKAI reported that dozens of people have been executed in connection with the war and the protests. La Libre said arrests and executions have multiplied since the war, which has killed thousands. Amnesty International counted 2,159 executions in Iran in 2025, more than double the 2024 figure and the highest count it has recorded there since 1981. According to NGOs cited by La Libre, Iran ranks second in the world for executions, behind China.
Rights groups' objections
The Dadban human rights movement warned on Tuesday, 13 October, that the execution could be imminent, after Mostafavi was moved to an isolation cell and his family was contacted about a final visit. Rights organizations said his confession was forced. Iran International reports that Tehran has long used vague charges such as espionage, rebellion, 'enmity against God' and 'corruption on earth' to prosecute critics. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and several UN experts have documented repeated convictions after unfair or rushed trials, in some cases with defendants denied effective access to lawyers and verdicts resting on confessions obtained under torture. Mizan did not disclose details of the trial or the evidence presented in court.