Iran executes man for running over police in protest

Iran executed a man convicted of deliberately driving his car into police officers during anti-government protests in the city of Karaj in January, Iran media reported on Sunday.

Shahram Sadeghi was accused of driving a car into police officers in Karaj on January 8, injuring seven officers, one of whom was reportedly left in a coma for three months, according to semi-official Tasnim news agency.

The Karaj Revolutionary Court sentenced Sadeghi to death and ordered the confiscation of his assets for what authorities described as an “operational action” in favour of Israel, the US and hostile groups under Iran’s espionage law.

The Supreme Court upheld the sentence, and it was carried out early on Sunday, according to the judiciary.

Also on Sunday, Iran’s parliament approved the general principles of a bill that would criminalise interviews and other communications with media deemed hostile to the Islamic Republic, including US or Israeli media and outlets financed by either country, Iran’s Shargh newspaper reported.

Osman Salari, a member of parliament’s judicial and legal commission, said the individual provisions of the bill, which is aimed at countering foreign intelligence influence, have yet to be debated and approved. Reports about the bill’s details should not yet be considered final, Salari told the Mizan news agency.

Under the proposed bill, interviews or participation in discussions with such media would be banned, with violations carrying prison terms of six months to two years.

Interviews with other foreign media would require notification to the intelligence ministry, while contact with foreign embassies, offices of foreign organisations or other non-Iranian institutions without notification and written permission from the foreign ministry would be punishable by a fine and deprivation of certain social rights.

The proposed legislation would also toughen penalties for economic crimes committed under the direction or supervision of foreigners, ban providing information to foreigners without intelligence ministry approval and restrict scientific co-operation with foreign institutions outside an approved list.

It would punish policy or legislative proposals made under the direction of foreign intelligence services if they harmed Iran’s security or independence, with prison terms of up to 30 years. Cases would be heard by Revolutionary Courts.

The bill will be considered article by article in parliament. Once parliament approves the final text, it will have to be reviewed by the Guardian Council before becoming law.

The move is not the first time Iran has criminalised co-operation with foreign entities. A law passed in 2025 after a 12-day war with Israel imposed tougher penalties for alleged cooperation with hostile states.

Iranian photojournalist Yalda Moaiery was sentenced this month to 15 years in prison under that law over allegations that included giving interviews to media deemed hostile and providing photographs to US- and Israel-linked organisations.