Iran Executes Another Protester

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09:47

Erfan Kiani, who was reportedly arrested during the nationwide anti-government protests in January in the central city of Isfahan, was executed on April 25, according to Mizan, the news agency affiliated with Iran’s judiciary.

Mizan reported that the protester, whose age was not reported, was executed after the Supreme Court upheld the verdict. Authorities accused Kiani of leading a group that attempted to destroy public property at the city’s Piroozi intersection on the evening of January 8.

The charges against him included “destroying public and private property, setting fires, carrying and using Molotov cocktails, carrying weapons, blocking the path of vehicles, attacking officers, and creating fear and panic among citizens.”

No details about the trial proceedings, evidence presented, or access to a lawyer have been made public. There had been no prior independent reporting on Erfan Kiani before the execution announcement. RFE/RL is unable to independently verify the full details of the case.

Mass protests in Iran in January were brutally suppressed by security forces. The US-based human rights monitoring group HRANA verified thousands of deaths during the crackdown, with figures for confirmed protester deaths reaching over 6,000. Many more arrests occurred across the country.

Since the protests, Iran has carried out multiple executions of individuals arrested in connection with the unrest, with a noticeable surge in recent weeks. Rights groups have warned of an alarming increase in executions overall — with Iran already recording one of the world’s highest rates — and have expressed concern that the authorities are using the death penalty to instill fear and suppress dissent following the protests.

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05:47

We are now closing the live blog for the day. We’ll be back at 7:30 a.m. Central European time to cover the latest events across the Middle East.

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00:31

US Treasury Chief Says No Plans To Renew Waiver On Iran Petroleum Purchases

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed to The Associated Press that Washington does not plan to renew a waiver allowing the purchase of Iranian oil and petroleum products that are currently at sea after an initial waiver expired five days ago.

Not the Iranians, Bessent said in comments to AP on April 24. We have the blockade, and theres no oil coming out.

And we think in the next two, three days, theyre going to have to start shuttering production, which will be very bad for their wells, he told the news agency.

There had been some speculation that the waiver on Iranian products could be extended after the US renewed a similar waiver on Russian petroleum products already at sea. That renewal came two days after Bessent said the administration had no plans to do so.

Britain’s Starmer Plans To Have IRGC Declared Banned Organization

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he plans to introduce legislation in the next few weeks to ban Irans hard-line Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

The United States, European Union, Canada, and Australia have already designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization.

British ministers have previously said such proscription is not intended for state organizations such as the IRGC, but the Home Office confirmed that work is under way on legislation that includes proscription-like powers that can clamp down on malign state activity.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer plans to introduce legislation proscribing Iran’s IRGC.

In relation to malign state actors more generally, proscription, we do need legislation in order to take necessary measures, and that is legislation that were bringing forward as soon as we can,” Starmer said in response to a question by the Jewish Chronicle.

We go into a new session in a few weeks time and well bring that legislation forward.

The IRGC is a branch of Irans military and has been linked to at least 20 credible threats in the UK since 2022.

With reporting by dpa

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19:14

24.4.2026

White House Says US Delegation Will Head To Pakistan For Iran Peace Talks

WASHINGTON — White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the United States would send a delegation to Pakistan this weekend, as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi is also expected to arrive in Islamabad.

Leavitt told journalists that President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner would be traveling for a fresh round of negotiations with Tehran on April 25, saying Washington had seen “some progress” from the Iranian side in recent days.

Araqchi was expected to arrive in Islamabad on April 24 for talks that would reports said would include consultations on proposals for reviving peace negotiations with the United States.

US and Iranian teams held peace talks in the Pakistani capital on April 11-12, but they ended without an agreement and a second round that had been expected earlier this week did not materialize.

US Vice President JD Vance, who led the US team on April 11-12, would not lead the US delegation this time around, Leavitt said. She added Vance would stay on “standby” in the United States and “will be willing to dispatch to Pakistan if we feel it’s a necessary use of his time.”

“The president, the vice president, the secretary of state, will be waiting here in the United States for updates.”

According toan earlier report by CNN, which cited unnamed US officials, Vance would be ready to travel to Islamabad if negotiations produce progress.

In a post on X, Araqchi said he would visit Pakistan, Oman, and Russia to coordinate with regional partners on bilateral issues and to discuss recent developments. He added that relations with neighboring countries remain a priority for Tehran.

The US-Israeli war with Iran began on February 28. A cease-fire has been in place since April 8, and Trump announced an extension shortly before it was due to expire on April 22.

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17:50

24.4.2026

Iran Rights Group Says 3 Teenage Protesters Could Face Execution

The Committee to Follow Up on the Status of Detainees, an advocacy group that monitors arrests in Iran, says the Supreme Court has upheld the death sentences of three young protesters: Ehsan Hosseinipour Hesarloo, Matin Mohammadi, and Erfan Amiri. According to the group, the sentences have been confirmed, raising fears they could face imminent execution.

The three were reportedly 17 and 18 years old at the time of their arrests during the nationwide protests in January. They were arrested in connection with a fire at the Seyyed al-Shohada Mosque in Pakdasht, southeast of Tehran.

According to reports, prosecutors accused them of acting against national security, gathering and colluding against national security, participating in the killing of two people, intentionally setting fire to the mosque, and destroying public property.

Iran’s judiciary-affiliated Mizan News Agency previously said the three were the “main instigators” of the attack on the mosque on January 8, and alleged that two people died after becoming trapped inside the building.

The detainee-monitoring committee said Hesarloo was arrested on January 8 and later told them he had been subjected to severe pressure and torture in detention.

The group also cited informed sources claiming that confessions used in the case were obtained under threats and coercion, and that the defendants were denied a meaningful chance to defend themselves.

These allegations have not been independently verified.

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17:19

24.4.2026

Merz: EU Could Ease Sanctions Against Iran If Agreement Reached With US

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that the European Union is willing to gradually ease sanctions on Iran if a comprehensive agreement is reached.

“Reducing sanctions could be part of a process,” Merz said after the EU summit in Nicosia.

“And no one has objected to this,” he added.

European and Middle East leaders met in Cyprus on April 24 to discuss the war in Iran.

Merz described this as “part of the assistance” that Europe could provide to advance the process and hopefully help secure a lasting ceasefire.

This position was met with caution from other European Union leaders.

Antonio Costa, president of the European Council, said at a joint press conference after the meeting that it was still too early to discuss lifting any sanctions on Iran.

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, made similar remarks.

Merz made the comments as the European Union is reportedly developing contingency plans to deal with an imminent jet fuel shortage and to maximize refinery production because of rising energy prices linked to the Iran war.

Europe is more dependent on jet fuel imports than any other transport fuel, with around 75 percent coming from the Middle East.

Jet fuel prices have risen sharply since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which followed the US-Israeli war with Iran that started on February 28. European airlines have warned that if the conflict continues, ticket prices could rise, flights may be canceled, and aircraft could be grounded.

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15:55

24.4.2026

Beijing Rejects Claim Seized Ship Contained ‘Gift From China’

China has refuted a claim by US President Donald Trump that the Iranian ship seized by the United States in the Strait of Hormuz on April 19 was carrying a “gift from China.”

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Beijing refutes “any accusations and implications that lack a factual basis.”

“Normal international trade between countries should not be disrupted or undermined, he added, speaking at a press conference on April 24.

Beijing denies any direct military involvement in the war in Iran.

Trump had made the comment during an interview with American new channel CNBC on April 21 as he hinted that Beijing had attempted to supply Tehran with lethal aid.

The Touska, the Iranian ship that had been travelling through the Strait of Hormuz from China, was seized by the US Navy on April 19. The US Central Command claimed the ship was seized after it refused to follow orders to abort its passage through the strait.

Maritime security sources told Reuters on April 21 that the Iranian-flagged container ship was likely carrying items that the US would consider “dual-use,” meaning the items onboard have civilian and possible military applications.

The statement from the Foreign Ministry comes as Beijingplaced seven EU-based companies on an export control liston April 24. The new restrictions prohibit operators from exporting dual-use items to these entities from China on “national security” grounds.

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13:07

24.4.2026

Kuwait Says Drones From Iraq Hit Northern Border Posts

Kuwaits military said on April 24 that two explosive-laden drones arriving from the direction of Iraq struck two northern border posts, causing “material damage” but no casualties.

In a statement on X, the military described the incident as a criminal act of aggression and said the drones were guided by fiber-optic cables.

Since the US-Israeli war with Iran began on February 28, pro-Iranian armed groups have claimed repeated attacks on “enemy” targets in Iraq and elsewhere, though they later said operations were suspended after a cease-fire.

Persian Gulf states have nevertheless protested continued cross-border attacks.

With reporting by AFP

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12:28

24.4.2026

Mojtaba Khamenei Awaiting Prosthetic Leg And Plastic Surgery, Says NYT Report

An Iranian woman holds a picture of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since his appointment. (file photo)

Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is facing serious medical complications after surviving an attack, leaving him awaiting a prosthetic leg and plastic surgery on his face, The New York Timesreportedon April 23.

Citing four officials familiar with the matter, the newspaper said he remains mentally able to make decisions but has undergone hand surgery and suffered severe facial burns.

The report said Khamenei has had limited contact with Iranian generals during negotiations to end the war, reinforcing earlier US comments that he was wounded and likely disfigured.

Analysts told the Times that Khamenei — who succeeded his father, Ali Khamenei, after the ayatollah died in the same air strike that injured his son on February 28 — is formally leader but not yet fully in control.

Mojtaba is not yet in full command or control, said Sanam Vakil, the director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House.

The Times report said day-to-day authority has shifted toward senior officials and the Revolutionary Guards while Khamenei avoids public appearances.

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