Iran executes 9 Islamic State militants linked to 2018 attack

According to the Iranian judiciary’s Mizan news agency, the executions were carried out after the country’s highest court upheld the death sentences. The militants were captured during a clash in western Iran with the Revolutionary Guard, in which three Iranian troops and several IS fighters were killed.

Officials reported seizing a stockpile of weapons at the militants’ hideout, including a machine gun and 50 grenades. The executions were carried out by hanging, the standard method in Iran.

The Islamic State group, which once controlled large areas in Iraq and Syria under its self-declared caliphate established in 2014, has been significantly weakened by U.S.-led military efforts. However, the group has remained active, carrying out deadly attacks in various regions.

In neighboring Afghanistan, IS has reportedly gained strength since the Taliban took control in 2021 following the collapse of the Western-backed government.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for a 2017 attack in Tehran that targeted the parliament and the mausoleum of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, killing at least 18 and injuring over 50. In 2024, it also claimed two suicide bombings at a memorial event for a general killed in a 2020 U.S. drone strike, resulting in at least 94 deaths.

The 2018 clash between Iranian forces and IS militants occurred during a period of heightened conflict. After gunmen dressed as soldiers attacked a military parade in southwestern Iran, killing at least 25 people, Iran retaliated by launching ballistic missiles at IS positions in eastern Syria. That attack was claimed by both IS and local separatist groups.

However, Iran’s influence in Syria has waned following the 2024 fall of President Bashar Assad, one of Tehran’s key regional allies. Experts warn that the resulting instability may offer Islamic State militants an opportunity to regain ground as Syria’s new leadership works to stabilize the country and build a national army, reports UNB.