India, Jan. 13 -- TEHRAN, Iran, January 13 -Iranian authorities are preparing to carry out the first reported execution by hanging directly linked to the nationwide anti-Khamenei protests, sentencing 26-year-old Erfan Soltani to death in a case activists warn is a fast-tracked deterrent. Soltani's imminent execution marks a severe escalation in the regime's response to months of unrest.

Erfan Soltani is a 26-year-old resident of Fardis, a suburb of Karaj near Tehran. He was arrested on January 8, 2026, for participating in the widespread protests against the regime of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. His case has drawn international attention as potentially the first hanging related specifically to the current "anti-Khamenei" demon...