live Amnesty Slams Iran's Execution Of 5 Protesters

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels said Saudi-led forces struck an oil depot on the outskirts of Sanaa on October 13, marking a new escalation in fighting following a week of Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia.

Houthi-run Al-Masirah television reported that the Saudi-led coalition had targeted a Yemen Petroleum Company facility near the country's capital, which the Houthis control. The company said the depot held no petroleum stocks and that the strike had not disrupted fuel supplies.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree threatened a "harsh and painful" response, warning that Saudi oil facilities, including Saudi Aramco's headquarters in Dhahran and a refinery in Riyadh, could be targeted.

The escalation follows a Houthi ballistic missile strike on Riyadh airport on October 10 that killed 13 people, the deadliest such attack in Saudi Arabia in a decade. . Another person was killed in a separate strike on the airport the following day, bringing the death toll from the two attacks to 14.

Saudi Arabia resumed its military campaign in Yemen after the Houthis seized territory along the Red Sea coast near the strategically important Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Saudi-backed forces of Yemen's internationally recognized government have since pushed the rebels back from areas closest to the waterway, although the Houthis have made gains elsewhere, including around the city of Taiz.

The strait has become increasingly important to regional energy shipments following disruptions to traffic through the Strait of Hormuz during the US-Iran war.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that Ankara stood by Riyadh, while US President Donald Trump said the Houthis were "behaving very badly" and suggested Turkey could help Saudi Arabia.

Iran, Saudi Arabia's longtime regional rival, has offered to mediate between Riyadh and the Houthis.

The Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen, including Sanaa, have fought forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition since 2015, although large-scale fighting eased following a UN-brokered truce in 2022. The conflict has intensified sharply in recent months amid the wider US-Iran war.

With reporting by Reuters

Amnesty International has accused Iran of using executions to intimidate the population and discourage further protests, following the execution of five men convicted in connection with anti-government demonstrations in January.

In a statement issued on October 13, the human rights organization condemned the executions, carried out between September 30 and October 5, saying the men had been convicted following "grossly unfair torture-tainted trials."

Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty's deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, said the executions demonstrated how the Iranian authorities "weaponize the death penalty" to intimidate opponents and prevent further unrest.

She said the judicial proceedings had involved the denial of access to lawyers, allegations of torture, and the use of televised forced confessions.

"Such proceedings make a mockery of justice, laying bare the Iranian authorities’ utter disregard for the right to life," Eltahawy said.

The five men were Ali Hemmati Sistanian, Majid Nikandish, Siavash Jamshidi Kheirabadi, Alireza Sepahi, and Alireza Raisi.

Sistanian and Nikandish were executed in Mashhad on September 30, Jamshidi Kheirabadi in Shahr-e Kord on October 3, and Sepahi and Raisi in Isfahan on October 5, according to the Iranian judiciary's Mizan news agency.

Amnesty said Sepahi reported "being subjected to torture and other ill-treatment and was denied access to a lawyer during interrogations at the investigation stage."

The rights organization warned that "scores of people including dissidents and protesters remain at risk of politically motivated executions" as the authorities intensify repression, citing so-called wartime conditions and national-security threats.

Amnesty called for coordinated international diplomatic pressure to halt further executions and urged the United Nations to pursue mechanisms for holding Iranian officials accountable.

It said Iranian authorities had executed at least 34 people in connection with the January 2026 protests.

Amnesty has repeatedly criticized Iran's use of the death penalty, particularly against protesters and political dissidents.

Meanwhile, human rights organizations and activists have continued their campaigns against executions in Iran.

Gina Romero, the UN special rapporteur freedom of association and assembly, announced plans to go on hunger strike on October 13 in solidarity with Iran's "No to Execution Tuesdays" campaign.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

A prominent human rights lawyer and activist has been arrested in Iran, sources close to him told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda.

Amirsalar Davoodi was arrested in court in the central city of Isfahan on October 11 while defending a client, said the sources who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

The charges against him are unknown, and it is unclear where he is being held.

Davoodi’s arrest comes amid an intensifying crackdown on dissent in the Islamic republic, where the authorities have jailed lawyers, activists, journalists, and intellectuals.

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UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said Iran very probably orchestrated a suspected plot to attack a British airbase used by US bombers to carry out strikes on Iran.

“I can confirm our assessment that it is highly likely to have been coordinated in Iran, almost certainly directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC),” Burnham told parliament on October 12.

Five British men were arrested near RAF Fairford on September 27 on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offences. Police found petrol but no viable explosives in three vans near the base. The men were released without charge, as were two others arrested in connection with the investigation.

US officials told Reuters that the suspected plot involved a possible drone attack. President Donald Trump said last week that the threat had prompted the withdrawal of US bombers from the base.

Iran denied involvement, calling the allegations “unfounded and malicious speculations”.

Burnham said Britain would "crack down on Iran's use of criminal networks" and would "bring further sanctions to restrict the capacity of Iran and the IRGC to do us harm."

With reporting by Reuters and AFP

Iran has executed a man convicted of membership in the Baluch militant group Jaish al-Adl and of “aiding armed rebellion,” the judiciary’s Mizan news agency reported on October 12.

Mizan identified the man as Omar Darastaran. It did not give his age or hometown, name the court that tried him, or say where he was hanged.

According to the judiciary, Darastaran provided support for Jaish al-Adl attacks on police and Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) bases in Rask and Chabahar in the southeastern Sistan-Baluchistan Province in April 2024. Mizan said the Supreme Court upheld his sentence.

Iran and the United States have both designated Jaish al-Adl a terrorist group. The group says it is fighting for the rights of Iran’s Baluch minority. In December 2025, the group rebranded in an attempt to gain legitimacy as an Iranian opposition group, but has continued to claim responsibility for deadly attacks against security forces.

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Separatist Group Jaish Al-Adl Rebrands As Wider Iranian Opposition

Sistan-Baluchistan, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan, is one of Iran’s poorest provinces and has long been a flashpoint for unrest. Its predominantly Sunni Baluch population has faced discrimination and economic marginalization in Shi'a-majority Iran.

The execution was announced as police spokesman Saeed Montazerolmahdi said a “terrorist team” linked to recent assassinations in the province had been dismantled.

Rights groups say Tehran uses executions to spread fear and deter protests. Amnesty International says Iran executed at least 2,159 people in 2025.

The secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) claimed the United States has agreed to some of Iran's conditions to restart negotiations aimed at ending the more than seven-month war.

In a late-night post on X on October 11, Mohsen Rezaei wrote on X that Iran still finds the US response insufficient to resume diplomacy.

"The US has agreed to some of Iran's seven conditions, but we consider its response INADEQUATE," Rezaei wrote in English. "Iranian diplomacy has changed and there will be no return to the status quo ante."

RFE/RL has reached out to the White House for comment.

Rezaei last month publicly outlined five of the seven conditions, which include releasing Iran's frozen assets, ending the war on all fronts, halting interference in Iranian affairs, stopping attacks on Iranian territory, and lifting the US naval blockade.

President Donald Trump said last week that the United States will not launch further military strikes against Iran prior to the November midterm elections, though he insisted Iran has yet to offer the right terms to finalize a broader deal.

Terming the latest Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia that claimed several lives and damaged key infrastructure a "dangerous escalation," Saudi allies Pakistan, Turkey, and Egypt said such attacks "cannot be justified or accepted under any pretext."

In a joint statement on October 11, the R4 Group reaffirmed its support for Riyadh's "all legitimate measures and steps it takes to counter these attacks, deter the source of their threat and prevent their recurrence."

"The Group holds the Houthi militia fully accountable for the results of these attacks and any repercussions that come with it that threaten regional and international peace and security," the statement said.

Saudi authorities said one person was killed and 11 others injured in a fresh attack on Riyadh's international airport early on October 12.

Key Saudi infrastructure has been under missile attacks from the Iran-aligned Houthis over the past week. On October 10, a strike on King Khalid International Airport killed 13 people and wounded more than 300.

The latest flare-up in the conflict started following the September capture of the Red Sea port city of Mocha and other area around the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait by the Houthi rebels. The waterway is a key route for Saudi oil exports to Asia.

Earlier this month, Saudi defense forces claimed the retaking control of the strait from the Houthis.

The Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa, have fought forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition since 2015, although large-scale fighting eased following a UN-brokered truce in 2022.

US President Donald Trump on October 10 said the United States "may" join Saudi strikes on the Houthis in the conflict, although he said no decisions have been made on the matter.

India has condemned attacks on two commercial vessels carrying Indian crew members in the Strait of Hormuz, after two sailors went missing following a drone strike on an oil tanker.

In a statement issued on October 11, India's Foreign Affairs Ministry condemned the attacks and called for an immediate reduction in tensions and a resolution of regional conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy.

The ministry said the MT Petro Dolphin, which was carrying 11 Indian seafarers, had been struck by a drone. Two crew members were reported missing, and search-and-rescue operations were under way.

The second vessel, the MT Valthera, which flies the Marshall Islands flag, was struck by an unidentified projectile, causing a fire onboard. All 11 Indian sailors aboard the tanker were reported safe.

India called for attacks on commercial vessels, seafarers, and civilian infrastructure to cease, emphasizing the importance of protecting maritime safety and international navigation.

Separately, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported an incident involving a tanker near the port of Sohar in Oman on October 11. Following confirmation that an unmanned surface vessel had struck the tanker, UKMTO reclassified the incident as an attack. At the time of its report, the crew's status, the extent of damage and the environmental impact remained unknown.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy also claimed that a crude-oil supertanker had struck a sea mine while attempting to leave the Strait of Hormuz through a route it described as unauthorized. According to the IRGC's statement, the vessel had switched off its navigation and positioning systems before the incident.

The IRGC Navy warned that vessels passing through the strait with their navigation and identification systems switched off would be regarded as hostile and would face a severe response.

Saudi authorities said one person was killed and 11 others injured in a new attack on Riyadh's international airport, a day after an strike claimed by Iran-allied Houthi rebels killed 13 people and wounded more than 300 at the site.

Saudi-led coalition forces said an unidentified projectile had targeted King Khalid International Airport's Terminal 4 on October 11, igniting a blaze.

Coalition forces early on October 12 said Saudi air defenses had intercepted a cruise missile near the same airport.

WATCH: Surveillance Footage Of October 10 Attack On Riyadh's International Airport

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The coalition also said its forces had intercepted and destroyed a drone in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province and that a ballistic missile launched toward Khamis Mushait had been intercepted.

The Yemen-based Houthi rebels have been intensifying drone and missile attacks on Saudi territory in recent months, with an apparent focus on Saudi airports. The rebels are also fighting against the internationally recognized, Saudi-backed Yemeni government.

Separately, the US Federal ⁠Aviation Administration urged US airlines to exercise ⁠caution when flying to or over Saudi Arabia amid increased safety threats linked to military activities and the potential for navigational system interference.

The Saudi-Houthi conflict is a spillover from the US-Israeli war with Iran that began at the end of February.

US President Donald Trump on October 10 said the United States "may" join Saudi strikes on the Houthis in the conflict, although he said no decisions have been made on the matter.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP

The US Federal ⁠Aviation Administration (FAA) urged US airlines to exercise ⁠caution when flying to or over Saudi Arabia amid increased safety threats linked to military activities and the potential for navigational system interference.

The FAA Notice to Airmen, which lasts until December 10, came after attacks on October 10 and 11 on Riyadh's international airport. The October 10 attack killed 13 people and injured more than 300 and was blamed on missiles fired by Iran-allied Houthi rebels based in Yemen.

"Threats ‌could pose a potential ⁠risk to ‌aircraft at all altitudes, including overflight, the arrival, and departure phases of flight," the FAA said.