In a new escalation of security pressures in Iran, the authorities carried out death sentences against two men convicted of involvement in the killing of four police officers during 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.
The British Maritime Trade Operations Authority also reported that two oil and gas tankers were subjected to two separate attacks with projectiles of unknown origin within the strategic waterway on two consecutive days.
Executions in connection with the protests
The Iranian judiciary announced, on Monday, the execution of the death sentence against Ali Reza Sebahi and Ali Reza Raisi by hanging, after convicting them of involvement in the killing of four police officers during the protests that took place in the city of Isfahan in the center of the country. The judiciary's Mizan Online website said that the sentence was implemented after it was approved by the Supreme Court, noting that the two men were also convicted on charges of "belonging to an armed group and undermining national security." The website did not specify the date of their arrest or the details of their trial.
The protests began in Tehran in late December against the backdrop of rising costs of living, before spreading to several regions of the country and turning into a widespread anti-government movement, which reached its peak on January 8 and 9. The Iranian authorities said that about three thousand people were killed during the protests and riots that accompanied them, and attributed the unrest to what they described as “terrorist operations” orchestrated by the United States and Israel. But non-governmental organizations based outside Iran provided a higher toll of victims, and accused the authorities of carrying out a massive crackdown on protesters.
The execution of the two men came days after Tehran announced the execution of another man who was convicted, among other charges, of shooting police officers during protests. These executions come at a time when the pace of executions in Iran has increased since the outbreak of the American-Israeli war on the country in February.
According to the organizations “Iran Human Rights Watch” and “Together Against the Death Penalty,” Iran carried out death sentences against at least 1,639 people in 2025, the highest annual number since 1989. Amnesty International says that Iran carries out more death sentences than any other country except China.
Tehran announces the disabling of “Starlink”
In parallel with the security tightening, the Iranian authorities announced for the first time their ability to disable Starlink devices, which provide Internet connection via satellite, during the protests that the country witnessed in January. Mohammad Amin Aqamiri, head of the government's National Center for Cyberspace, which supervises the Internet, told state television that Iran was able for the first time to disable Starlink devices during the unrest, according to what was reported by Agence France-Presse.
Aqamiri did not reveal the technical means that the authorities used to disrupt the service, but experts had indicated during the protests that Iran had succeeded in disrupting the service, which limited its effectiveness in circumventing the Internet blockade.
The authorities had almost completely cut off internet access for weeks during the January protests, limiting residents' ability to disseminate photos and information related to the protests and security measures taken to suppress them. Starlink has become one of the alternatives available to Iranians to bypass the blocking, even though the possession of its devices is prohibited in Iran, and the penalty for doing so amounts to imprisonment.
Conflict within the government regarding the Internet
However, the announcement of the ability to disable “Starlink” seemed to contradict statements issued a few days ago by an official in the Iranian Ministry of Communications. Mohamed Hafez Hakmi, Assistant Minister of Communications for Technology Affairs, said that the spread of “Starlink” could represent a severe blow to the government’s control of the Internet.
The Digiato website, which specializes in technology, quoted him as saying that if the spread of the service continues in this direction, the authorities may be forced to cut off electricity during the next crisis to prevent Iranians from using “Starlink,” in statements that, according to observers, reflected the difficulties faced by the authorities in containing this technology.
For years, Iran has imposed strict restrictions on access to a large number of foreign websites and platforms, including YouTube, X, Telegram, and Instagram. However, most Iranians access these platforms using virtual private networks (VPNs), something the authorities themselves acknowledge.
One of the most restrictive Internet environments
Internet restrictions in Iran remain among the strictest in the world, while this year the country witnessed record outages in Internet service. Following the outbreak of war with Israel and the United States at the end of February, the authorities cut off most forms of access to the Internet for about three months, which led to the country being digitally isolated from the outside world during a large part of the war period.
Difficulties in accessing the Internet are not limited to the blockade imposed by the Iranian authorities; International sanctions make a large number of foreign websites completely unavailable to users inside the country.
An official in the Iranian Ministry of Communications estimated last May that about 30 percent of foreign websites could not be accessed from within Iran due to sanctions. Thus, the security crackdown coincides with tightening control over the digital sphere, in an attempt by the authorities to limit the ability of protesters to communicate, organize protests, and transfer what is happening inside the country abroad, while the “Starlink” case reveals an increasing race between Iranian censorship tools and the technologies that allow them to be bypassed.
Iran's national security adviser has warned that the rapidly deteriorating economy has pushed the country into one of the most difficult periods in its history.
The Secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, made this rare declaration during a high-level government meeting to discuss ways to achieve economic stability, after more than seven months of war, according to what the New York Times reported.
The Iranian currency (riyal) has plunged since the United States and Israel launched war on Iran in February. This decline has accelerated sharply in recent weeks, after the United States tightened sanctions and imposed a naval blockade. This led to a rise in the cost of imports and exacerbated the years-long high-cost crisis, which sparked nationwide protests in December, before security forces violently suppressed them, resulting in deaths.
Analysts say that the US naval blockade has also largely prevented Iran from exporting oil, depriving the country of its main source of revenue and leading to a fuel crisis.
Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad resigned on Sunday, after he had said in July that Iran would continue to export oil despite US sanctions. Seyed Mehdi Tabatabai, spokesman for President Masoud Pezeshkian, said on social media that Hamid Bouvard, CEO of the National Iranian Oil Company, will take over Pakinejad's duties temporarily.
In recent days, employees in the government and private sectors, including nurses and teachers, have taken to social media to announce their resignation from their jobs, saying that their salaries are no longer enough to support them. Local Iranian media reported that retired government employees have organized protests over the past few weeks, saying they have not received their full pensions.
In addition to Rezaei, the government meeting included President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior Iranian ministers, according to official media.
Iranian official news agencies did not report Rezaei's statements directly. But the official Iranian News Agency (IRNA) reported that he “described the conditions as among the most difficult periods the country has gone through,” and told the meeting that the Iranian National Security Council would provide all the support it could.
Pezeshkian acknowledged the deteriorating economic conditions in a statement he posted on social media on Saturday, and said that the government “adopted a new approach to managing special circumstances.” But he did not explain what that meant in practice.
Economic pressures on Iran have increased as negotiations between Tehran and Washington faltered, at a time when both sides refuse to make concessions, and each sends signals that it is able to bear the economic pain for a longer period than the other.
In recent weeks, American officials have said that they are making progress in the economic confrontation. Recent data showed that oil shipments from the Middle East have almost returned to pre-war levels.
But oil prices are still higher than they were before the conflict broke out, and some analysts have warned that the crisis facing the global economy is still far from being resolved. Crossing the Strait remains risky, and damage to energy infrastructure has limited refining capacity and natural gas exports. Analysts believe that Iranian leaders hope that the pressure will harm President Donald Trump before the US midterm elections.
In addition to the blockade, the United States disrupted most civil air traffic between Iran and the rest of the world, adding a new layer of economic isolation, which some sanctions experts said could harm essential imports, including medicines.
* New York Times service
