Iran executed 26-year-old law graduate and PMOI member Mehdi Khanaki early today, after months of torture. He was arrested on February 10 for participating in the January 2026 nationwide uprising in Karaj and was hanged solely for his membership in the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), which opposes the Ayatollah and the Revolutionary Guard (IRGC).
Escalating Executions
Between March 30 and April 20, the regime executed six PMOI members in Ghezel Hesar Prison and two more in Karaj Central Prison. Dozens of others remain on death row. Human-rights monitors say the killings are a deliberate strategy to intimidate the population and eliminate activists linked to the NCRI's resistance network. An estimated 30,000 citizens were killed in a state crackdown on street rebellions in January.
The execution came as the United States launched airstrikes on Iran for the 11th consecutive night. President Donald Trump warned that the next target would be the Pickaxe Mountain complex, suspected of housing nuclear-related activity. Sitting beside Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Trump said: “We’ll be hitting that area pretty soon, and very heavily,” adding that he would not normally reveal targets unless he was certain Iran could do nothing to stop it.
Regional and Global Impact
Aoun announced that Lebanon would permanently end hostilities with Israel, a historic declaration that triggered tensions on the ground. Lebanese troops entering a “pilot zone” vacated by the IDF were met with Israeli warning shots after crossing into what Israel considers its security buffer.
Global shipping lanes face turmoil. With the Strait of Hormuz closed, the Red Sea has become vital for oil flows, particularly Saudi Arabia’s rerouted exports. However, several tankers halted near Yemeni waters after Houthi rebels warned shipowners against docking at Saudi ports, where they have imposed a blockade. Analysts say these workaround routes could soon be jeopardised, threatening further spikes in global energy prices and hitting Asian markets hardest.
In Washington, US War Secretary Pete Hegseth requested $87.6 billion in additional funding before the Senate appropriations committee, revealing that the conflict has already cost the US $37.5 billion. Hegseth insisted the war was being fought “in a realist, America First way” and was not an attempt to “remake Iranian society”. Even if lawmakers approve the money, it cannot be released until September, when the Senate returns from recess, leaving the Pentagon to stretch its current budget through weeks of intensifying operations.
