Mojtaba Khamenei regime executes champion wrestler as Iran intensifies brutal crackdown during war

The Islamic Republic of Iran’s judiciary connected Thursday ignored a U.S. State Department informing on with pleas from elite Iranian-American wrestlers to not execute 19-year-old champion wrestler Saleh Mohammadi for protesting against the Khamenei regime.

Reports accidental Mohammadi was killed successful a nationalist hanging seen arsenic a barbaric determination by the Iranian authorities to snuff retired the ongoing question seeking to topple it, according to Iranian American quality rights activists and dissidents.

Nima Far, a quality rights activistic and Iranian combat jock who is an adept connected elite Iranian wrestling, told Fox News Digital, "His execution was a blatant governmental murder, portion of the Islamic Republic’s signifier of targeting athletes to crush dissent and terrorize society, arsenic seen with Navid Afkari and others executed contempt planetary outcry."

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Wrestling champion Saleh Mohammadi faces imminent execution successful Iran for protestation information arsenic planetary unit mounts to prevention the athlete. (The Foreign Desk)

He said, "The IOC [International Olympic Committee] and UWW [United World Wrestling] should person intervened forcefully with nationalist ultimatums, threatening contiguous suspension of Iran’s NOC [National Olympic Committee] and federations if the sidesplitting proceeded alternatively than relying connected ineffective quiescent diplomacy, fixed their ain commitments to support athletes from politically motivated harm."  Both organizations did enactment retired statements aft being asked for effect from Fox News Digital upon Mohammadi's decease sentence.

Far called connected the wrestling authorities to instrumentality action, stating, "Iran indispensable beryllium banned from planetary competitions until it halts executions of protesters and athletes, releases those jailed successful sham trials, and ends retaliation against competitors who talk retired oregon defect."

Fox News Digital sent caller property queries to the IOC and UWW.  

Iranians stitchery portion blocking a thoroughfare during a protestation successful Tehran, Iran connected Jan. 9, 2026. (MAHSA / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

Reactions to his decease came flooding successful from Iranian commentators.

Alizreza Nader, an adept connected Iran and the quality rights concern successful the country, told Fox News Digital, "I consciousness precise atrocious for him and his family. There should beryllium a boycott of the authorities erstwhile it comes to planetary sport. I bash interest astir idiosyncratic athletes who volition beryllium impacted by this, arsenic athletes successful Iran are enduring precise harsh conditions, including immoderate reported arsenic being virtual hostages by the regime. But determination indispensable beryllium a dense terms for the authorities for executing young radical similar this. There indispensable beryllium a deterrent."

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Iranian American activistic Masih Alinejad wrote connected X: "Today, successful Iran, successful the mediate of a war, the authorities executed a 19-year-old nationalist wrestling champion for the transgression of joining January protests. After signaling to the world, including President @realDonaldTrump, that they would halt executions of protesters, the authorities has done the nonstop opposite."

She added, "Three young protesters, Saleh Mohammadi, Mehdi Ghasemi, and Saeed Davoudi, were hanged successful Qom aft a sham trial. Reports bespeak torture. Forced confessions. No entree to chosen lawyers. Closed-door proceedings. No close to appeal. I telephone connected @GlobalAthleteHQ to basal with Iranian athletes who are being silenced, imprisoned, and executed simply for raising their voices. This is not conscionable astir sports. This is astir quality dignity."

Fox News Digital reported successful precocious January that the authoritative X relationship for the State Department successful Farsi wrote, "The United States is profoundly acrophobic by reports that 19-year-old wrestling champion Saleh Mohammadi is facing imminent execution. The authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran is massacring young radical and destroying Iran’s future. We telephone connected the Iranian regime to halt the execution of Saleh Mohammadi and each those sentenced to decease for exercising their cardinal rights. #SalehMohammadi #StopExecutionsInIran #HumanRights #IranProtest."

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Elite Iranian American wrestlers told Fox News Digital successful February that Iran’s authorities indispensable cease the executions of athletes.  Sardar Pashaei, who won a Greco-Roman wrestling satellite title rubric for Iran and coached the country’s elite Greco-Roman team, on with Afsoon Roshanzamir Johnston, the archetypal American pistillate wrestler to triumph a medal successful satellite title contention successful 1989, urged the authorities not to instrumentality the targeted sidesplitting of athletes.

Pashaei told Fox Digital connected Thursday that "My bosom is breached for this young wrestler. Anyone who inactive shows sympathy for the Islamic Republic should recognize — this is lone a tiny glimpse of its brutality."

He added, "Before the net was unopen down, I spoke with 1 of Iran’s nationalist wrestling squad coaches. He warned maine that Saleh’s lawsuit was critical. We were some profoundly worried. I did everything I could — speaking to the media, raising consciousness — but I could not prevention him. This authorities is built connected executions, fear, and hatred. It does not change. The International Olympic Committee and planetary sports bodies failed."

Iran International reported that Iran’s authorities hanged Mohammadi and 2 further Iranian men, Mehdi Ghasemiand Saeed Davoudi,"after being accused of sidesplitting 2 constabulary officers during nationwide protests earlier this year, the judiciary-linked Mizan quality bureau reported."

A billboard depicting Iran's ultimate leaders since 1979: (L to R) Ayatollahs Ruhollah Khomeini (until 1989), Ali Khamenei (until 2026) and Mojtaba Khamenei (incumbent) is displayed supra a road successful Tehran connected March 10, 2026. Iran marked the assignment of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei to regenerate his begetter arsenic its ultimate person connected March 9, 2026. (AFP/Via Getty Images)

The 3 men allegedly attacked "two constabulary officers with knives and swords during protests connected January 8 successful the beatified metropolis of Qom."

The authorities claimed that the men acted connected behalf of Israel and the United States. Iran International noted this is "a predominant assertion utilized by the Islamic Republic against protesters and dissidents."

Mohammadi won a bronze medal successful September 2024, for Iran’s nationalist freestyle wrestling astatine the Saytiyev International Cup successful Krasnoyarsk, Russia.

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The Hengaw enactment for quality rights posted wrestling footage of Mohammadi. Hengaw wrote connected X: "Footage shows Saleh Mohammadi, a 19-year-old jock and subordinate of Iran’s nationalist wrestling team, who was secretly executed successful the aboriginal hours of Thursday, March 19, 2026, successful Qom Central Prison connected charges of ‘enmity against God’ (moharebeh). Mohammadi had antecedently shared this video connected his Instagram page, documenting his diversion travel and efforts toward success."

Fox News Digital reached retired to the U.S. State Department and Iran’s U.N. Mission successful New York for comments.