Iran executes man over involvement in January protests

• Iran executes Shahram Sadeghi after convicting him of running over police officers during antigovernment protests in January.
• The execution comes after a major protest wave driven by economic hardship, soaring prices and a sharp fall in the rial.

Iranian authorities have executed a man convicted of running over several police officers with his car during antigovernment protests in January, the judiciary said.

Shahram Sadeghi was executed on Sunday after being sentenced to death for what Iranian authorities described as an "operational action in support of the Zionist regime and the United States."

The judiciary's Mizan Online website said Sadeghi had driven his car into police officers on January 8 in Karaj, west of Tehran, injuring seven of them.

Iranian authorities had accused him of carrying out the attack during a wave of antigovernment protests that spread across the country.

Iran experienced one of its largest waves of antigovernment protests since the 1979 Islamic Revolution during December and January.

The unrest was initially fueled by worsening economic conditions, surging prices and the rapid depreciation of the rial against the US dollar.

The protests began among shopkeepers in Tehran, who closed their businesses and took to the streets on December 28 after the rial fell to a record low against the dollar.

The demonstrations subsequently spread to several other provinces, marking a significant challenge to the Iranian government.

Iranian authorities have faced international scrutiny over their response to the protests, including the use of executions and other punitive measures against people convicted in connection with the unrest.