ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran’s judiciary on Sunday announced the execution of a man convicted of deliberately ramming a vehicle into police officers northeast of Tehran during nationwide protests in January, in an incident state media dubbed the “car of death” attack.
Shahram Sadeghi’s “brutal and violent act caused head, leg, arm, and eye injuries to seven FARAJA [Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran] officers,” Mizan News Agency, which is affiliated with Iran’s judiciary, reported.
“Following this brutal attack, Shahram Sadeghi fled the scene after setting his vehicle on fire,” it added.
Mizan said the attack occurred on January 8 during the US and Israeli war against Iran, after which Sadeghi allegedly hid under a false identity in a drug rehabilitation center “despite not having an addiction.”
Sadeghi was sentenced to death and the “confiscation of all property.”
Iran witnessed weeks of widespread demonstrations in late December and January, triggered by rising inflation, currency devaluation and a lack of public services.
The unrest resulted in an estimated 22,000 deaths, including more than 6,000 confirmed deaths and 17,000 cases under investigation, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). At least 20,000 others were arrested for participating in the protests. Some reports have suggested significantly higher figures.
Iran has also seen a sharp rise in executions this year. More than 440 people were executed during the first seven months of 2026, according to the Oslo-based Hengaw Organization for Human Rights.
Executions have increased sharply since February 28, when the US and Israel launched a military campaign against Iran. Iranian authorities have since executed at least three dozen prisoners accused of espionage or collaboration with foreign states. Wartime legislative amendments have also introduced measures including property confiscation and life imprisonment.
The Iranian judiciary said Sadeghi claimed in his defense that he had reported his car stolen at the time of the ramming incident, but after the investigators showed him “conclusive evidence… [he] confessed that while special unit officers of Alborz province were present to restore order and security, and without them even issuing a stop order, he drove his vehicle at high speed directly toward the officers.”
The judiciary also claimed that Sadeghi had stated that he aimed at killing or injuring the officers.
