MASHHAD — Iran executed three men convicted of involvement in anti-government protests that took place in December and January, the Iranian judiciary's Mizan Online website said. The protests began in December over living costs.

Mehdi Rassouli and Mohammad Reza Miri were hanged after being identified as Mossad agents involved in the January riots in the city of Mashhad and held responsible for widespread violence and the death of a member of the security forces, according to Mizan Online. The court accused the two men of using Molotov cocktails and bladed weapons, inciting and encouraging others to kill, and directly participating in the murder of a security officer.

Ebrahim Dolatabadi, described by Mizan Online as one of the main instigators of the Mashhad riots that claimed the lives of several members of the security forces, was also hanged. The Supreme Court confirmed the verdicts for all three men before their sentences were carried out, according to the website.

Iranian authorities said the wave of protests that peaked in January began peacefully before descending into "riots fomented by foreign powers," according to Iranian authorities. The government has acknowledged more than 3,000 deaths in the protests and blamed the violence on "terrorist acts" orchestrated by the United States and Israel.

Arrests and executions in Iran linked to the protests have increased since the start of the regional war triggered by a U.S.-Israeli attack on Feb. 28. In March, Iran executed three men accused of killing police officers during the protests, including Saleh Mohammadi, a young member of Iran's national wrestling team. A separate man was executed for his role in a murder committed during protests in 2022-2023 following the death of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian Kurdish woman.

"Dozens of individuals arrested during the January 2026 protests have been sentenced to death following grossly unfair, fast-tracked trials conducted without due process, access to independent counsel and reliance on torture-tainted forced 'confessions' as evidence," the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran said.

According to Iran Human Rights Monitor, Iran carried out 656 executions in the first three months of this year. The group said its recorded tally is likely far higher because only eight executions were recorded in March when the country was largely offline. Norway-based Iran Human Rights and Paris-based Together Against the Death Penalty said in their joint annual report that at least 1,639 people were executed in 2025, including 48 women.