President Donald Trump condemned Iran's leadership after the execution of two protesters over the weekend, calling officials "savages" amid a widening crackdown on dissent during the war with the United States.
Iran's judiciary announced on July 19 that two men were executed over their alleged involvement in violence linked to anti-government protests that began in December and intensified in January amid widespread economic discontent.
Trump reposted several messages on his Truth Social platform about the executions of Erfan Esfandiari and Gol Mohammad Mohammadi, including one where he reposted a message about Mohammadi's execution while adding: "The latest one of 52,000, plus, innocent protesters. Savages!!!"
Trump's claim that 52,000 protesters were killed by authorities in the uprising early this year, has not been independently verified.
According to human rights groups, at least 7,000 people were killed during the nationwide protests, although the real death toll is believed to be significantly higher.
Most of the killings occurred from January 8 to 10, the peak of the crackdown. Tens of thousands of others were arrested nationwide.
In another post on July 21, Trump shared a message featuring a photograph of Esfandiari alongside the appeal: "Please help. Please be their voice." He also reposted an image of a woman crying in front of a burning Iranian flag while holding a sign reading: "DON'T KILL US."
A day earlier, Trump had also reposted a Truth Social message by Iranian journalist and activist Masih Alinejad calling attention to Esfandiari's execution.
Esfandiari and Mohammadi were convicted for allegedly being connected to the killing of four police officers in Isfahan during the January protests.
Rights groups say the charges were fabricated and that their trials were held without access to independent legal counsel.
Iranian authorities have said that more than 3,000 people were killed during the unrest, blaming what they described as "terrorist acts" backed by the United States and Israel.
Trump's comments on the executions echo his rhetoric from before the war.
As nationwide protests spread across Iran in January, he repeatedly condemned Tehran's crackdown and warned the United States could intervene militarily if the government continued killing peaceful demonstrators.
On January 14 Trump told CBS News that "If they hang them, you're going to see some things... We will take very strong action if they do such a thing."
He also publicly voiced support for the protesters, telling Iranians that "help is on its way."
On February 28, the United States and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran, escalating tensions into a wider regional conflict.
Since then, Iranian authorities have carried out a growing number of arrests and executions involving both alleged links to the conflict and participation in earlier protests.
Rights groups condemned the executions warning that they signal a wider crackdown on protesters facing death sentences.
The Norway-based Iran Human Rights Group (IHRNGO) said the hangings of Esfandiari and Mohammadi brought the number of protesters executed in connection with the January unrest to at least 23.
It noted that another January protester, Mohammad Amini Dehaghani, was reportedly hanged in Isfahan Central Prison last week.
IHRNGO Director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam warned that authorities could use the broader conflict to accelerate executions of political prisoners.
"With the breakdown of the cease-fire and the resumption of the war, we are deeply concerned that the authorities will exploit the situation to intensify the execution of political prisoners,” he said in a statement.
"Hundreds of political prisoners and protesters are currently facing capital charges, and we estimate that around 100 have already been sentenced to death.
He urged the international community, particularly the European Union, to make an immediate halt to executions a priority in dealings with Tehran.
The Iranian rights group Hengaw reported that 10 other defendants in the same case Esfandiari and Mohammadi were tried in remained at imminent risk of execution.
"Following these executions, the lives of the remaining 10 young defendants in the case are in immediate danger. They remain in solitary confinement at Dastgerd Prison under emergency conditions after their families were summoned for what were believed to be final visits.”
A recent tally by Amnesty International said there had been at least 45 "politically motivated executions" under cover of what the authorities call "wartime conditions" since US and Israeli air strikes on Iran began on February 28.
Iran executed at least 1,639 people in 2025, the highest annual figure recorded since 1989, according to Iran Human Rights and Together Against the Death Penalty.
Amnesty International has ranked Iran as the country with the second-highest number of executions globally, after China.
