Iran on Tuesday executed nine members of the Islamic State (IS) group, who were convicted in connection with a deadly 2018 confrontation with the country’s paramilitary forces.
The militants were involved in an armed clash with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that led to the deaths of three Iranian personnel. The executions, carried out by hanging—the Islamic Republic’s standard method of capital punishment—followed convictions for “armed action against the state” and “membership in a terrorist organization.”
Authorities did not release the identities of those executed or specify the location of the clash. The 2018 incident took place amid heightened security concerns over IS activity in the region, despite the group’s territorial losses in Iraq and Syria.
Although largely dismantled by a U.S.-led coalition, IS has continued to carry out sporadic attacks across the Middle East, with recent signs of resurgence in Afghanistan through its local branch, Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP).
Iran itself has suffered several IS-linked attacks. In June 2017, the group claimed responsibility for a coordinated assault on Iran’s parliament and the mausoleum of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, which killed 18 and wounded over 50.
More recently, IS claimed responsibility for twin suicide bombings in January 2024 during a memorial for IRGC commander General Qassem Soleimani in Kerman. The attack killed at least 94 people, making it one of the deadliest in Iran in recent years.
Iranian officials have consistently pledged to hold perpetrators of such attacks accountable. Tuesday’s executions reflect Tehran’s continued resolve to confront extremist threats within and near its borders.
