While some Western observers spent the past year debating the so-called “moderation” of the Iranian regime’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, the mullahs’ gallows were telling the true story of his tenure.

A damning new statistical report by the Iran Human Rights Society (Iran HRS) covering the Persian year 1404 (March 2025 to March 2026) reveals that the regime carried out an unprecedented campaign of state murder to maintain its fragile grip on power.

By the numbers: The deadliest year in three decades

The staggering statistics from the Iran HRS report prove that the ruling theocracy has entirely abandoned any pretense of justice. At least 2,657 people were executed in 1404, more than double the 1,159 executions recorded in the previous year. This marks the highest number of executions in Iran over the past three decades. A total of 2,552 men were executed behind prison walls alone.

The timing of these killings is highly revealing. The highest monthly execution rate occurred in November/December 2025 (the Persian month of Azar), with at least 376 people hanged—a clear attempt to terrorize an explosive society just before the massive nationwide uprisings broke out. Conversely, the sharp drop in recorded executions to 65 in February/March 2026 (Esfand) is deceptive. The........

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