Iran executes two men convicted of links to Islamic State, planning attacks

Iranian authorities executed two men, Mohiyodin Abdollahi and Hossein Palani, on Tuesday after they were convicted of being members of the Islamic State (ISIS) group and planning terrorist operations in Iran. According to Mizan Online, the judiciary's news website, the men were sentenced to death for "armed rebellion against the Islamic Republic" and had planned attacks from the Iran-Iraq border. ISIS has claimed responsibility for several past attacks in Iran, including a 2024 bombing that killed 95 people. Iran's execution rate is second only to China, and human rights groups note an increase in executions since February 28, following what the article describes as "US-Israeli strikes on Iran." The United Nations reported that Iran executed at least 40 people in 2026, including 18 protesters.