TEHRAN: Iranian authorities on Tuesday hanged two men after convicting them of involvement in the killing of four police officers during January protests in central Iran, the judiciary said.

“Amirhossein Maleki and Amirhossein Ebrahimi, two armed perpetrators of the January 2026 crime in Isfahan whose brutal and atrocious actions led to the martyrdom of four police officers, were hanged,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online website reported.

The executions were carried out “after their cases underwent a thorough legal review and their death sentences were upheld by the Supreme Court,” following appeals by the defendants, the report said.

A wave of protests erupted in Iran in December over a surge in foreign currency rates and soon escalated into anti-government demonstrations, peaking on January 8 and 9.

Tehran has accused its arch-foes Israel and the United States of fomenting the protests.

According to official figures, more than 3,000 people, including police and security personnel, were killed during the clashes, while rights groups based abroad have cited higher figures.

According to Mizan, the pair “were among the main perpetrators of the crime” and “were armed and present at the scene and had committed multiple criminal acts.”

The judiciary said they “were sentenced to death on charges of moharebeh (waging war against God) and corruption on earth, through actions against national security.”

In early October, authorities executed Alireza Sepahi and Alireza Raissi for their involvement in the same case.

The number of executions in Iran has surged since the start of the Middle East war, which was started in late February by the United States and Israel.

Amnesty International says Iran carries out more executions than any country except China.