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Iran Executes Man Over Involvement in Winter Protests

Vehicles drive past a billboard depicting the clenched fist of slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, July 21, 2026. (AP)
Vehicles drive past a billboard depicting the clenched fist of slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, July 21, 2026. (AP)
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Iran Executes Man Over Involvement in Winter Protests

Vehicles drive past a billboard depicting the clenched fist of slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, July 21, 2026. (AP)
Vehicles drive past a billboard depicting the clenched fist of slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, July 21, 2026. (AP)

Iran has executed a man after finding him guilty of charges related to protests that swept the country last winter, the Iranian judiciary announced on Wednesday.

"The death penalty against Mehdi Khanaki, a member of an active terrorist group during the protests, was carried out after confirmation by the supreme court," the judiciary's Mizan Online news website reported.

At the end of December, protests against the cost of living in Iran spread rapidly across the country and expanded to include political demands.

The protests were met by a crackdown that rights groups say killed thousands.

Iranian authorities portrayed the protests as riots backed by the United States and Israel, and said the violence killed around 3,000 people.

Mizan said on Wednesday that Khanaki was arrested on February 10 in Karaj, west of Tehran, while in possession of a large arsenal, adding that the arms had been used to carry out shootings in January.

Khanaki "was condemned to death and the confiscation of all his property for having acted in favor of the Zionist and American regimes," the website said.

The number of executions in Iran has surged since the start of the Middle East war on February 28, with a large number linked to the protests.

According to Amnesty International, Iran conducts the second most executions of any country, after China.

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World

Hormuz Crossings Rise Slightly from Weekend, Remain in Single Digits

Archive photo of ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz (AFP)
Archive photo of ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz (AFP)
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Hormuz Crossings Rise Slightly from Weekend, Remain in Single Digits

Archive photo of ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz (AFP)
Archive photo of ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz (AFP)

Ship ‌crossings via the Strait of Hormuz were still in single digits on Monday, despite rising slightly from the weekend, according to preliminary shipping data on Tuesday, amid a stalemate in US and Iranian peace talks.

Six commodity ships transited the strait on Monday, of ‌which three were exiting ‌the Gulf and ‌three ⁠were entering, Kpler shiptracking ⁠data showed, compared with the 10-day average of 11 ships. Three ships transited on Saturday while two moved through the waterway on Sunday.

There were no very ⁠large crude carriers or tankers ‌carrying liquefied ‌natural gas passing through, reported Reuters.

Some vessels could be ‌passing through the strait ‌with their transponders switched off and they are not considered in the tally.

The very large gas carrier (VLGC) Xavia entered ‌the strait via the Iranian route under ballast, meaning empty ⁠of ⁠a cargo, according to the data. VLGCs are typically used to ship liquefied petroleum gases such as propane and butane.

A medium-range fuel tanker and an intermediate-range tanker also entered the Gulf, the data showed, while a medium-sized LPG carrier, a Panamax bulk carrier and a Panamax-sized fuel tanker exited the Gulf.

World

Pentagon Inks Tomahawk Deal Amid Reports of Missile Shortfall

A visitor walks past Raytheon stand at the 53rd International Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France June 21, 2019. (Reuters)
A visitor walks past Raytheon stand at the 53rd International Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France June 21, 2019. (Reuters)
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Pentagon Inks Tomahawk Deal Amid Reports of Missile Shortfall

A visitor walks past Raytheon stand at the 53rd International Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France June 21, 2019. (Reuters)
A visitor walks past Raytheon stand at the 53rd International Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France June 21, 2019. (Reuters)

The Pentagon announced a $22.9 billion contract with Raytheon on Monday for Tomahawk missiles amid reports of a shortfall due to the war with Iran.

Acting US Navy Secretary Hung Cao said the contract will "accelerate Tomahawk missile delivery to our warfighters at unprecedented speed."

"Guaranteeing our naval and joint forces have the lethal firepower they need to deter aggression and protect the homeland is paramount," Cao said in a statement. "The Department is utilizing every available tool to meet the demands of our current operations."

An analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) think tank released last month found that US stocks of Patriot and THAAD air defense missiles have been slashed by the conflict with Iran.

Before it began in late February, the United States had more than 2,300 Patriot and more than 450 THAAD interceptors -- figures that CSIS estimated have been roughly halved or more in the subsequent months of war.

The Washington Post reported this month that President Donald Trump had demanded answers from Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth about munitions shortages at a recent cabinet meeting.

Trump and Hegseth both later denied that the United States was faced with dwindling missile stocks.

Tomahawk missiles are mainly launched from submarines and warships and can travel more than 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles).

World

UN Laments ‘Unacceptable’ Toll of 350 Aid Workers Killed in 2025

UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher briefs the media about the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip during a press conference at the European headquarters of the United Nations (UNOG), Geneva, Switzerland, Aug. 22, 2025. (EPA)
UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher briefs the media about the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip during a press conference at the European headquarters of the United Nations (UNOG), Geneva, Switzerland, Aug. 22, 2025. (EPA)
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UN Laments ‘Unacceptable’ Toll of 350 Aid Workers Killed in 2025

UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher briefs the media about the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip during a press conference at the European headquarters of the United Nations (UNOG), Geneva, Switzerland, Aug. 22, 2025. (EPA)
UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher briefs the media about the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip during a press conference at the European headquarters of the United Nations (UNOG), Geneva, Switzerland, Aug. 22, 2025. (EPA)

The number of aid workers killed worldwide in 2025 reached 350, with the most fatalities in Gaza and Sudan, the United Nations said Monday, calling attacks on humanitarians "unacceptable."

The death toll, however, was slightly lower than that of 2024, when 377 aid workers were killed.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) cited the figures from the research and advisory group Humanitarian Outcomes in a statement marking World Humanitarian Day.

Some 186 humanitarians were killed in Gaza -- the deadliest place for aid workers for the third year running -- followed by Sudan with 71 killed.

"More than 1,000 aid workers have been killed in just three years and that is utterly unacceptable," Tom Fletcher, under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said in the statement.

"But just calling it out will not protect the next aid worker. States must uphold international humanitarian law and use every tool to protect civilians and our colleagues," he said. "And for those who break the rules, there must be real consequences."

Since the start of 2026, 82 more aid workers have been killed, 97 injured and 39 abducted worldwide.

OCHA voiced particular concern over the proliferation of armed drones "that are putting lethal power into ever more hands and sending more explosive weapons into towns and cities."

In Sudan, armed drones caused 80 percent of civilian deaths in the first four months of 2026, hitting markets and health facilities, the statement said, also noting casualties from drone attacks in the Russia-Ukraine war.

"Weaponized drones have become the new face of an old danger: the deliberate or reckless destruction of civilian life," Fletcher said.