Iran executes man for running over police during protests

Iran executed Shahram Sadeghi on Sunday after convicting him of driving his car into police officers during anti-government protests in January, the judiciary's Mizan Online website said. The attack on January 8 in Karaj, west of Tehran, wounded seven officers. The judiciary accused Sadeghi of acting in support of Israel and the US.

The execution comes as part of a broader crackdown on dissent since the start of the West Asia war on February 28, according to The Hindu and NDTV. Both outlets note a sharp rise in executions in Iran since the conflict began with US-Israeli strikes. Rights groups report at least 1,639 executions last year, a record since 1989, and Amnesty International ranks Iran second only to China in executions.