Tehran, Jan. 15 -- Iran's deepening political crisis took on fresh global urgency this week as the country prepared to execute Erfan Soltani, a 26-year-old protester, in connection with the mass demonstrations sweeping the Islamic Republic, drawing warnings of international intervention and heightening tensions with the United States, New York Times reported.

Soltani, a shopkeeper from the city of Fardis near Tehran, was arrested early this month during nationwide protests triggered by economic hardship and political dissatisfaction. Rights groups say he was convicted on charges related to the demonstrations and sentenced to death in what critics call an extremely rapid process that denied him access to legal counsel.

Earlier, the count...