As senior Taliban officials attended funeral ceremonies for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Iran, Iran Human Rights reported that three Afghan citizens had been executed in prisons in Shiraz and Yazd.
The organization said the three men had been convicted in drug-related cases and were executed in late June. The executions come amid growing political and economic engagement between the Taliban and Iran, even as rights groups continue to raise concerns about the treatment of Afghan prisoners in the country.
A review of information published by Iranian human rights organizations by Amu shows that at least 16 Afghan citizens have been executed in Iran since the beginning of 2026.
The reported executions have taken place mainly in Adelabad Prison in Shiraz and prisons in Yazd and Taybad. Most of those executed faced drug-related charges, while others had been convicted of murder or accused of espionage for Israel, according to reports by human rights organizations.
In the latest cases, Iran Human Rights said Mirwais Khalilzada and Ibrahim Ahmadshahi were executed on June 21 at Adelabad Prison in Shiraz.
The group said Khalilzada, 55, was from Jalalabad and had been arrested about two years earlier on accusations of transporting drugs. Ahmadshahi, about 40 and from Khost Province, had been detained roughly 14 months before his execution on drug-related charges.
Iran Human Rights also reported that a 27-year-old Afghan citizen was executed in Yazd in late June. His identity was not disclosed in the information available for this report.
Rights groups say that in many such cases, Iranian authorities do not publicly announce executions or disclose details of judicial proceedings. Human rights advocates have also raised concerns about Afghan prisoners’ access to effective legal representation and consular assistance in capital cases.
The executions were reported as Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s deputy chief minister for economic affairs, and their foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi traveled to Iran for Khamenei’s funeral and burial ceremonies.
During the visit, Baradar met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian for talks on bilateral relations. The Taliban delegation has not publicly commented on the reported executions of Afghan citizens.
Taliban have expanded political and economic engagement with Tehran since returning to power in 2021. Iran has not formally recognized the Taliban rule but maintains regular diplomatic contacts with its officials. The two sides cooperate on trade, transit and border issues, while relations have periodically been strained by disputes over water rights, migration and the treatment of Afghans in Iran.
Rights groups have reported a sharp rise in the number of Afghan citizens executed in Iran in recent years. Hengaw, an Iranian human rights organization, said at least 85 Afghans were executed in Iran in 2025.
The actual number may be higher because Iranian authorities do not publicly report every execution and the identities of some prisoners put to death remain unknown.
