Iran claims Erfan Soltani isn’t facing the death penalty, even as rumours and threats swirl. Earlier, at least two human rights groups said Soltani had already been sentenced to die.
The US State Department even warned he could become the first protester executed in this wave of unrest.
Soltani, 26, got arrested during anti-government protests in Karaj, not far from Tehran. International NGOs sounded the alarm that his execution was coming soon. Meanwhile, the US warned Tehran that if they followed through, there’d be consequences possibly military ones.
But state media, quoting Iran’s judiciary, insists Soltani isn’t on death row. He’s in prison, facing charges like “propaganda against the Islamic system” and “acting against national security.” The judiciary went on TV to say if Soltani is convicted, he’ll get jail time, not a death sentence. They say these charges don’t carry the death penalty.
Still, human rights groups aren’t convinced. They keep saying Soltani has already been sentenced to die, and the US State Department doubled down, warning that he might be the first of many protesters to be executed.
What is the Internet saying?
Online, the picture looks even darker. Despite denials from the Iranian government and Trump’s public threats, new reports say Soltani, who was supposedly scheduled to be executed on January 13, was actually executed that day.
Authorities have cut off his family, refusing to let them visit or share any information, which only fuels suspicions that the regime is trying to hide the execution and dodge international outrage.
🖤 Erfan Soltani, the Iranian protester who became a defining symbol for executions in the #IranMassacre, was reportedly killed in detention before the regime could even carry out his death sentence.
A family friend leaked the news.
The regime tried to bury it, because his case… pic.twitter.com/xEO4ZNTv9a
— Persian Soccer 🇮🇷 (@prznsoccer) January 18, 2026
#Breaking: Contrary to what U.S. President #Trump stated, and despite claims by Islamic regime officials, including Araghchi, it now appears that the first detained protester, Erfan Soltani, who was scheduled to be executed on January 13, was in fact executed on that day.
His… pic.twitter.com/ryVJ5tlzEZ
— Babak Taghvaee – The Crisis Watch (@BabakTaghvaee1) January 17, 2026
What is Trump up to amid Iran protests?
When it comes to Washington’s next move, Trump seems to be holding back for now. On Wednesday, he told reporters he’d heard from sources “on the other side” that Iran had stopped killing protesters.
He said, “We’ve been told that the killing in Iran is stopping—it’s stopped.” Still, he made it clear he’d be furious if the crackdown continued. For now, he’s waiting to see what happens.
