Iran executes two men after convicting them of killing 4 police officers during January protests

The semi-official Fars News Agency reported today (Tuesday) that Iran executed two men after convicting them in the case of the killing of four police officers in the central city of Isfahan during protests last January.

Amir Hossein Maleki and Amir Hossein Ebrahimi were sentenced to death for involvement in the killing of members of the security forces on January 8, 2026. Fars Agency reported that the Supreme Court upheld the sentences issued against them, according to what Reuters reported.

At the beginning of last October, in a new escalation of security pressures in Iran, the authorities carried out death sentences against two men who were convicted of involvement in the killing of four police officers during the anti-government protests at the beginning of the year, coinciding with a senior Iranian official’s announcement that the authorities were able for the first time to disrupt the “Starlink” satellite Internet service, which protesters used to circumvent restrictions imposed on the Internet.

The two steps reflect the authorities tightening their security and digital grip after widespread protests that broke out against the backdrop of deteriorating living conditions, and turned into one of the largest waves of protest against the government in recent years.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on the “X” website, today (Tuesday), that his country still aims for dialogue and reaching new regional security arrangements that the countries of the region themselves will undertake, away from any foreign military presence, according to what was reported by the “Reuters” news agency.

US President Donald Trump said yesterday that he is in no rush to resume the war on Iran. Because his country is “paralyzing” its economy, he stressed that Tehran wants an agreement more than at any time since the beginning of the war, but he expressed doubts about who is making the decision in the Iranian leadership.

Trump told Israeli Channel 12 and the Axios website: “I am not in a rush. “We are crippling their economy.” He added: “The Iranian leadership does not have a sense of urgency as I expected. But they want an agreement more than at any time since the beginning of the war.” He said that the Iranians do not have money or fuel, and that their people are tired of the current situation.

Regarding the ongoing Qatari-brokered negotiations, Trump said: “We are talking to them. It's progressing well. The problem is that we are not sure who is making the decisions, and we do not want them to try to delay us again.” Trump's statements come after his Vice President, J.D. Vance, sent a letter to the Secretary-General of the National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing American officials, that the United States bombed the Iranian island of Qeshm.

In turn, a US official said that the strikes on the island “appeared limited and did not constitute a resumption of major combat operations.” Another official said that the strikes were defensive measures against the Iranians' use of surface-to-air missiles against American sites, according to what Reuters reported.

The American newspaper's report comes after the Iranian News Agency (IRNA) reported that several explosions had occurred on the island, which is located in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Wall Street Journal indicated that the attack is the latest in a series of limited strikes carried out by Washington over the past few weeks.

The newspaper added that the strikes were carried out on a smaller scale and were deliberately hidden so as not to indicate any intention to resume the major military campaign against Iran.

US Central Command has not yet responded to a request from Reuters for comment in this regard.

Earlier on Monday, US President Donald Trump raised doubts about whether he would carry out his threat to resume military strikes against Iran, and said that reaching an agreement with Tehran was possible.

In response to a question from reporters about whether he was thinking about striking Iran after the midterm congressional elections on Tuesday, Trump replied: “No.”

Washington and Tehran have been at war since February 28.