An astonishing 1,500 death-row inmates at Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj have launched a hunger strike to protest the rampant execution of fellow prisoners. The protest, which started Oct. 13, spread across units 1 through 4 of Ward 2 of the largest state prison in Iran.
In response, prison director Karimollah Azizi threatened to shut down the cafeteria and kitchen if the strike continued.
The inmates’ reaction was defiant: “Go ahead and close them! What shade is darker than black?”
This response encapsulates the hopelessness gripping Iran’s prison population, where executions have reached record levels. In September alone, at least 200 prisoners, including six women, were executed, a monthly figure not seen in 36 years. That’s roughly one execution every three hours. The number is 2.5 times higher than the same period last year and seven times greater than two years ago.
The more fragile the regime becomes, the more it relies on executions to tighten its grip on power. In mid-October, regime president Massoud Pezeshkian admitted, “What we fear most is not foreign enemies, but what comes from within.” His remark betrays deep anxiety over potential popular uprisings.
Multiple crises and economic freefall
Iran is being strangled by a web of mega-crises: soaring inflation (42%), spiraling food and housing prices, widespread unemployment, poverty and acute water shortages. The economic collapse is glaring, symbolized by the exchange rate of 116,000 tomans to the U.S. dollar – a direct consequence of the regime’s militaristic policies, including missile development and its pursuit of nuclear weapons.
At a parliamentary session on Oct. 8, lawmakers sounded the alarm. MP Ravanbakhsh exclaimed, “This is the final warning, Mr. President! The soaring dollar and skyrocketing prices are breaking people’s backs. Why is there no government plan?” Another MP, Bayati, added, “You say sanctions and the snapback mechanism have no effect, but in reality, the dollar and gold are soaring, and inflation is out of control. People are exhausted by the cost of living and the lack of oversight.”
In such a climate, the regime sees mass executions as a key tool for retaining control by attempting to maximize fear within the general populace.
Recession and political turmoil: Is the breaking point near?
The Research Center of Iran’s Parliament, which provides research and advisory support for the Iranian parliament, reported a sharp drop in economic growth for the first half of the Iranian year 1404 (March through September 2025), blaming a failure to meet macroeconomic goals. Growth in 1403 was only 3.1%, and for early 1404, it is estimated to have turned negative.
Even last year’s modest growth was the result of a temporary boost in oil exports. The report warned that, due to structural imbalances, ongoing sanctions and domestic instability, sustained growth is unlikely.
Snapback mechanism and economic gloom
The recent activation of the U.N.’s “snapback” sanctions mechanism has further dimmed Iran’s economic outlook. In a recent report titled “The Economic Impact of Reinstated U.N. Sanctions,” Iran’s Chamber of Commerce outlined three scenarios – optimistic, probable and pessimistic. All three projected negative growth.
Under the most pessimistic forecast, the dollar exchange rate will hit 165,000 tomans, and inflation will soar to 90%. Given the current political context, this scenario is widely seen as the most realistic.
Meanwhile, Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei admitted: “One of today’s main issues is the public’s livelihood. Security is also of utmost importance. Our enemies are working hard to disrupt stability and social cohesion.”
International pressure and the regime’s fear of peace
As a breeze of peace begins to sweep across the Middle East, internal divisions within Iran’s ruling elite are deepening. The regime sees lasting peace not as an opportunity, but as an existential threat.
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic, famously referred to the ceasefire with Iraq as “a chalice of poison.” Despite promising to fight “until the last house in Tehran,” he stifled dissent after the war with mass repression – including the 1988 execution of 30,000 political prisoners – to avoid public accountability for a devastating conflict that caused 2 million casualties and over $1 trillion in damages.
The regime has sustained itself for nearly half a century by fueling wars and crises. This legacy explains its deep-seated aversion to any durable peace.
Iranian state media reflects this fear. According to Kayhan, a paper aligned with current Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei: “The Sharm el-Sheikh summit is yet another link in the chain of Arab betrayal, aimed at protecting the Zionist regime.” Nournews, close to the Supreme National Security Council, added: “The Palestinians will never abide by the outcomes of these summits, and the Resistance Front will deliver a decisive response.”
Although the Sharm el-Sheikh peace conference was made possible by the weakening of the Iranian regime, Tehran interprets it as another bitter cup of poison. In response, it is intensifying executions in a desperate bid to project strength.
The world must pay attention
If peace is truly to take root in the Middle East, the international community must not turn a blind eye to the domestic terror tactics used by the Iranian regime against its own people.
The executions are not a sign of strength and stability, but just the opposite: They are a sign of desperation. And they should be treated as such.
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