The Islamic Republic of Iran is on track to exceed the record number of executions it carried out against opponents in 2025, with 657 executions in the first three months of the year, according to the Iran Human Rights Society.  

Hiding behind the war with the U.S. and Israel, critics say the regime appears desperate to eliminate opposition, particularly following anti-regime demonstrations that shook the nation’s rulers and resulted in tens of thousands being murdered by the country’s security forces and militias.

In March, the regime was met with condemnations, including from President Donald Trump, over the execution of 19-year-old wrestler Saleh Mohammadi.

MOJTABA KHAMENEI REGIME EXECUTES CHAMPION WRESTLER AS IRAN INTENSIFIES BRUTAL CRACKDOWN DURING WAR

On Iran’s latest killing spree, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, «This latest barbaric act is more evidence of why the regime can never be allowed the advanced capabilities that we are destroying.»

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mai Sato, said that since the start of the war at least six executions took place as of March 30, and noted on her X account that an additional two executions took place on March 31.

Sato described the regime’s known victims as protesters, an accused spy for Israel, and individuals charged with «armed rebellion» against the regime. Sato said that «due to the internet blackout, it is unclear who else has been executed or are at risk of execution.» She said, «What is clear is that the death penalty is being used as a tool for suppressing political opposition in wartime conditions.»

Cars burn in a street during a protest over the collapse of the currency’s value in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 8, 2026. (Stringer/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS)

IRAN’S INTERNET BLACKOUT HIDING STRIKE DAMAGE AND SUPPRESSING DISSENT, ISRAELI OFFICIALS SAY

The Secretariat of the NCRI provided a written statement to Fox News Digital describing the recent executions of four members of the Iranian dissident organization People’s Mohahedin Organization of Iran (PMOE/MEK). The NCRI said members Mohammad Taghavi and Akbar Daneshvarkar were transferred from Ghezel Hesar prison on March 29, and executed the following morning. Four additional members of the group, Babak Alipour, Vahid Bani Amerian, Abolhassan Montazer and Pouya Ghobadi, were transferred as well. On March 31, the regime executed Alipour and Ghobadi.

Ali Safavi, a member of the NCRI’s Foreign Affairs Committee, called for «urgent action» to save the lives of Amerian and Montazer.

Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the NCRI, posted on X that the execution conducted on March 31 «reflects the clerical regime’s fear and desperation.» She called on the United Nations and its member states to engage in «practical and effective measures, including the closure of embassies and the expulsion of the regime’s terrorist diplomats and agents.»

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Before the Islamic Republic killed thousands of its own people during January protests, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights stated that the Islamic Republic carried out «at least» 1,500 executions in 2025. According to the High Commissioner, «the scale and pace of executions suggest a systematic use of capital punishment as a tool of State intimidation, with disproportionate impact on ethnic minorities and migrants.»

Amnesty International has raised similar concerns, and additionally noted that five «young protesters» now «face the imminent risk of execution,» having been transferred from Ghezal Hesar «to an unidentified location» as of March 31.

A year ago today, President Donald Trump announced a sweeping new round of global tariffs, escalating trade tensions with key allies and adversaries alike, raising fresh concerns about the outlook for the U.S. and global economy.

The «Liberation Day» tariffs were introduced as a broad set of import taxes that Trump said would correct long-standing trade imbalances and reduce U.S. reliance on foreign goods.

In the months that followed, markets experienced bouts of volatility as businesses and investors adjusted to the shifting trade landscape. Policymakers and economists, meanwhile, debated the longer-term impact on growth, inflation and global trade flows.

Many economists warned of potential consequences, including higher prices, slower growth and rising uncertainty for businesses and investors. 

TRUMP SAYS US WOULD BE ‘DESTROYED’ WITHOUT TARIFF REVENUE

But not everyone agreed.

«Trump proved 12 Nobel Prize economists wrong,» economist Stephen Moore told Fox News Digital.

«Inflation didn’t rise. Why? Because the tax cuts, deregulation and ‘drill, baby, drill’ policies lowered prices and offset the tariffs,» added Moore, a former Trump adviser and co-founder of the free-market advocacy group Unleash Prosperity.

But Moore’s view was not widely shared. Here’s a look back at what other economists said at the time.

Larry Summers

Lawrence Summers, former president emeritus and professor at Harvard University, called the tariff policy «masochistic.» (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers called the ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs «masochistic,» saying they were the worst levy the U.S. had imposed in decades.

«Never before has an hour of Presidential rhetoric cost so many people so much,» Summers wrote on X. «The best estimate of the loss from tariff policy is now closer to $30 trillion or $300,000 per family of four.»

Paul Krugman

Paul Krugman, a Nobel laureate, said Trump had «gone full-on crazy» after the ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs were announced. (Gene Medi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Paul Krugman, a Nobel Prize–winning economist, said Trump had «gone full-on crazy» in the hours after the «Liberation Day» tariffs were announced.

«If you had any hopes that Trump would step back from the brink, this announcement, between the very high tariff rates and the complete falsehoods about what other countries do, should kill them,» Krugman, a former MIT and Princeton University professor, wrote in his Substack newsletter.

Christine Lagarde

Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank (ECB), at a rates decision news conference in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany, on Thursday, March 19, 2026.  (Alex Kraus/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, warned that the tariffs would be «negative the world over,» in an interview with Ireland’s Newstalk.

She said Trump’s trade policy would weigh on global growth and carry broad consequences.

«It will not be good for the global economy, and it will not be good for those who impose the tariffs or those who retaliate,» Lagarde said.

Joseph Stiglitz

Joseph Stiglitz said the Trump administration’s tariffs would «crater the economy.» (Alessandro Bremec/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Economist Joseph Stiglitz said Trump’s tariff threats have made the U.S. «a scary place to invest» and could unleash stagflation. Stagflation refers to a combination of slow economic growth and rising prices. Stiglitz, a Columbia University professor and former World Bank economist, warned in an interview with The Guardian that he does not see a strong economic outlook ahead.

«I cannot see a really robust economy,» said Joseph Stiglitz, former chair of President Bill Clinton’s Council of Economic Advisers. «I see the global economy suffering greatly from the uncertainty that Trump poses.»

He also said the inflation triggered by the tariffs is moving in the wrong direction and that the only thing the Trump administration will succeed in doing is «to crater the economy.»

Jared Bernstein

Jared Bernstein, chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisors, said the Trump administration may reverse course on tariffs if economic pressures intensify. (Samuel Corum/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Jared Bernstein, the former White House chief economist under President Joe Biden, said the U.S. is a «large, dominant economy» that is relatively closed, meaning it relies less on trade than most countries.

«That means, as Trump has argued, we can hurt other countries more than they can hurt us,» Bernstein said. «But he hasn’t offered a clear rationale for why we should start a trade war with traditionally reliable partners like Canada, Mexico, Japan, and Europe.»

Bernstein said Trump may reverse course if mounting economic pressures—such as higher inflation, slower growth, falling stock prices and rising recession risks—intensify from the tariffs.

«So far, that may have been the approach in Trump’s first term; it doesn’t appear to be the approach this time around,» he said.

Mohamed El-Erian

Mohamed El-Erian, chief economic advisor for Allianz, said the U.S. economy could adjust to the tariffs provided the White House shared more details about the trade policy. (Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Allianz chief economic adviser Mohamed El-Erian called for clarity from the White House. «If we get clarity on this, this is an economy that can adjust,» he told FOX Business.

El-Erian, the former CEO of bond giant PIMCO, wrote on X that «the price action in global financial markets in the immediate aftermath of the U.S. tariff announcement points to major worries about global economic growth.»

Bill Gross

Bill Gross, co-founder of PIMCO, said he did not believe Trump would reverse course on tariffs, even if there was economic pressure. (Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Bill Gross, the co-founder of Pacific Investment Management Co., known as Pimco, said the latest round of tariffs is «similar to going off the gold standard in 1971″—an «epic» shift that markets won’t quickly recover from.

«It’s not something where you can time a market bottom quickly,» Gross told CNBC. «It’s something we’re going to have to live with as long as President Trump maintains this stance.»

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Gross, dubbed the «Bond King,» added that he does not expect Trump to reverse course. «To be very blunt, President Trump is a macho male, and this macho male is not going to back down tomorrow simply because the Nasdaq is down 5%,» he said.

El petróleo subió más del 10% y los futuros estadounidenses se desplomaron el jueves después de que el presidente Donald Trump declarara en su primer discurso a la nación desde el inicio de la guerra con Irán que Estados Unidos intensificará su campaña en las próximas semanas.

Los futuros del S&P 500 cayeron un 1,5% antes de la apertura, mientras que los del Dow Jones perdieron un 1,4%. Los futuros del Nasdaq retrocedieron un 2%.

El jueves fue el último día de negociación de la semana debido al feriado del Viernes Santo. Los mercados no han registrado ganancias semanales desde que comenzó la guerra a finales de febrero.

Un portavoz del ejército iraní insistió el jueves en que Teherán mantiene depósitos ocultos de armas, municiones e instalaciones de producción.

“Los centros que creen haber atacado son insignificantes, y nuestra producción militar estratégica se lleva a cabo en lugares que desconocen y a los que jamás llegarán”, afirmó el teniente coronel Ebrahim Zolfaghari.

El precio del barril de petróleo brent, el de referencia en Europa, repuntaba un 7,63 % en la apertura del mercado de este jueves, después de que el presidente estadounidense, Donald Trump, se mostrara algo ambiguo sobre el futuro del conflicto en Irán.

Las palabras del republicano golpearon también a los futuros en Wall Street -con el Dow Jones de Industriales, el S&P 500 y el Nasdaq dejándose en torno a un 1 % cada uno– y a los parqués asiáticos, donde el Nikkei nipón perdía un 1,4 % y el Kospi surcoreano retrocedía un 3 %.

Cerca de una hora después del comienzo de la sesión, el precio del barril de brent era de 107,87 dólares, tras subir ese 7,63 %; asimismo, el petróleo de Texas (WTI, por sus sigla en inglés) también acusaba la incertidumbre sobre la reapertura del estrecho de Ormuz, por donde transita buena parte del crudundial.

El presidente estadounidense ha asegurado esta madrugada que, una vez que termine la guerra, el estrecho de Ormuz “se abrirá de forma natural” porque Irán requerirá de la venta de petróleo para reconstruirse, si bien no ofreció detalles precisos sobre cómo garantizar la reapertura de esta estratégica ruta.

El barril WTI se encarecía un 7,71 % hasta 106,58 dólares, del mismo modo que el gas natural para entregar a un mes en el mercado TTF de Países Bajos, el de referencia en Europa, repuntaba un 2,04 % hasta 49,14 euros el megavatio hora.

El petróleo intermedio de Texas (WTI, por sus siglas en inglés) volvió a escalar de manera contundente este miércoles, encareciéndose más de un 4 % hasta superar los 104 dólares.

Después de recortar su cotización en más de un 1 % durante la jornada del miércoles ante las expectativas de que Trump pudiera anunciar el fin de la guerra contra Irán, los contratos de futuros del WTI volvieron a dispararse en cuanto el republicano aseguró que EEUU buscará devolver a Irán “a la Edad de Piedra”.

Las principales bolsas de Asia abrieron este jueves con pérdidas, en un contexto de aumento de los precios del petróleo.

Trump afirmó la noche del miércoles que Estados Unidos completará sus objetivos militares en Irán en unas “dos o tres semanas”, periodo en el que aseguró que atacará “con mucha fuerza” a la república islámica, a la que amenazó con “devolverla a la Edad de Piedra”.

Ante este panorama de agitación internacional, el petróleo intermedio de Texas (WTI) subió un 6,4% y superó los 106,55 dólares el barril. El crudo Brent, de referencia internacional, aumentó un 6,9%, hasta los 108,15 dólares por barril.

“Si no se alcanza un acuerdo, atacaremos con fuerza todas sus centrales eléctricas, probablemente de forma simultánea”, fue otras de las declaraciones del inquilino de la Casa Blanca en su presentación, donde no mencionó el plazo límite que había fijado Irán para la reapertura del estrecho de Ormuz, la vía marítima fundamental para el transporte mundial de petróleo y gas.

Tampoco ofreció una solución clara para las interrupciones en el suministro que han provocado el alza de los precios de la energía.

Los principales índices bursátiles de Tokio y Seúl abrieron casi sin cambios este jueves, pero comenzaron a registrar caídas significativas tras las declaraciones del presidente estadounidense Donald Trump. Los sectores financiero, industrial y energético fueron los más afectados, dada su mayor exposición al encarecimiento del crudo.

Unas dos horas después del inicio de las operaciones en Japón, el índice Nikkei retrocedió un 2,4%, perdiendo 908,40 puntos, hasta situarse en 52.831,28 unidades. Este indicador había subido un 5,24% en la sesión previa, impulsado por expectativas de un posible fin cercano de la guerra en Medio Oriente.

El Topix, índice más amplio de la bolsa tokiota que agrupa a las firmas de mayor capitalización, bajaba un 1,22%, o 44,69 puntos, colocándose en 3.626,21 enteros.

En Corea del Sur, el Kospi cayó un 4,5%, hasta los 5.234,05 puntos, tras haber avanzado un 3,5% la víspera. El Kosdaq, índice de empresas tecnológicas y de mediana capitalización, se redujo un 3,79%, hasta situarse en 1.073,90 unidades.

Las principales bolsas de China continental, Hong Kong y Taiwán abrieron en rojo tras el discurso del presidente estadounidense, Donald Trump.

En los primeros minutos posteriores a la alocución, el índice Hang Seng de la Bolsa de Hong Kong cedió un 1,3%, mientras que los mercados de Shanghái y Shenzhen bajó un 0,32% y un 0,83 %, respectivamente. El CSI 300, que agrupa a los 300 principales valores de esos dos mercados, descendió un 0,44% a esa hora.

En la Bolsa de Beijing, con menor peso por su reciente creación y enfoque en pymes, la caída fue del 2,14 %. Al mismo tiempo, el Taiex de la Bolsa de Taipéi, en Taiwán, retrocedió un 1,9%.

Los principales índices bursátiles de India registraron caídas superiores al 2%, tras las advertencias del presidente estadounidense Donald Trump sobre la intensificación de la ofensiva contra Irán.

Dentro de la Bolsa de Bombay, el BSE Sensex retrocedió un 2%, situándose en un mínimo de 71.545,81 puntos, mientras que el Nifty 50 descendió en igual proporción, alcanzando los 22.182,55 enteros.

En el Sudeste Asiático también predominaban los retrocesos, con el índice de Yakarta (JCI) liderando las bajas al perder un 1,25%, seguido por el KLCI de Malasia, que caía un 0,96%. El índice S&P/ASX 200 de Australia cayó un 1,1%, hasta los 8.579,50 puntos.

El miércoles, la expectativa de un fin próximo de la guerra impulsó el optimismo en el mercado bursátil estadounidense: el S&P 500 subió 0,7% hasta 6.575,32 unidades, mientras que el Dow Jones avanzó 224 puntos y el Nasdaq ganó 1,2%.

(Con información de EFE)