Massive protests against the ruling Ayatollah Ali Khamenei regime have rocked Iran over the past few weeks. Now, reports have surfaced that Iranian authorities are expected to execute a protester who was arrested in connection with the anti-Khamenei demonstrations, reported India Today. The execution will reportedly be carried out on Wednesday (January 14).
The 26-year-old man who will be hanged by the Khamenei regime has been identified as Erfan Soltani. He was arrested on January 8. Soltani is a resident of Fardis in the Karaj suburb of Tehran, reported India Today.
Reports have also surfaced that Soltani was denied basic human rights in the prison where he is currently being kept. The Khamenei regime is using force against the protesters to curb the agitation, which started in the last week of December 2025 against the worsening economic conditions of Iran.
According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, the death toll from Iran's nationwide protests has reached over 600. However, there is no official confirmation in this regard. Meanwhile, over 10,000 protesters have been taken into custody and transferred to prisons, with demonstrations reported at 585 locations nationwide, covering 186 cities across all 31 provinces, according to Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA).
Amid the massive protests across several provinces in Iran, US President Donald Trump on Sunday (local time) said that the Islamic Republic appears to be crossing a "red line" set by his administration, following reports of the killing, mostly of protesters, prompting Washington to consider what he described as "very strong options".
Speaking to reporters onboard Air Force One, when asked whether Iran had crossed the red line he had drawn over the treatment of protesters, Trump said, "They're starting to, it looks like." The US President, referring to the ongoing protests in the Islamic Republic, added that those in power were ruling through violence.
Notably, the US is closely monitoring the situation in Iran.
