Nine Afghan nationals, including a woman, were executed in Iran last month, according to the Iran Human Rights organization.
The group said in a report that the executions took place in September and included a husband and wife from the western Afghan province of Herat. The couple was executed in Qazvin Central Prison after spending four years in detention on drug-related charges, the group said. Their three children were later handed over to Afghan authorities.
Iran Human Rights said that a total of 58 Afghan citizens have been executed in Iran so far this year, most on drug and murder charges. The organization noted that the majority of these executions are carried out without public announcement.
The group’s latest data showed a sharp rise in executions of Afghan nationals, from five in August to nine in September. Overall, Iran executed 1,042 people during the first nine months of 2025, the group said.
Afghans make up the largest group of foreign nationals executed in Iran this year, according to the report. Despite the ongoing executions, the Taliban have not publicly commented on the cases.
Earlier this year, a Taliban judicial delegation visited Iran and urged authorities there to consider alternative sentences to the death penalty for Afghan citizens, but rights activists say the request appears to have been ignored.
