Iran Executes Nine ISIL Members Over Foiled Civilian Attack Plot
Tehran, June 2025 — Iran has executed nine members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) convicted of planning coordinated attacks against civilians across the country. The executions followed confirmation of death sentences by Iran’s Supreme Court, the judiciary announced via Mizan News Agency.
The militants were arrested in 2018 during a clash with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Iran’s western border regions. Authorities recovered weapons and military equipment from their hideout, revealing plans for simultaneous assaults on multiple cities. The confrontation led to the deaths of three Iranian soldiers, with some ISIL operatives detonating suicide vests.
ISIL, once dominant in Iraq and Syria, has largely been dismantled but continues sporadic attacks in the region, including within Iran. Notably, ISIL claimed a deadly twin bombing in Kerman in January 2024 that killed over 90 people.
Iran frequently arrests suspected ISIL members and maintains a strict stance on terrorism, but its extensive use of capital punishment attracts international criticism. Amnesty International reports Iran executed at least 972 people in 2024, ranking second worldwide after China.
