Kouroush Keyvani

Kouroush Keyvani was a dual Iranian-Swedish national hanged by Iran on 18 March 2026 on espionage charges. He was tried in closed Revolutionary Court proceedings; Swedish consular access was refused on the basis that Iran does not recognise dual nationality. His execution drew immediate condemnation from Sweden and international human rights groups.

Keyvani was executed one day before three young men were publicly hanged in Qom on charges of waging war against God. One, Saeed Davoudi, was 21; another, Mehdi Ghasemi, had no published age. A third, Saleh Mohammadi, was 19 and had turned 19 in prison eight days before sentencing. Amnesty International condemned the executions as arbitrary, designed to intimidate a population under bombardment. Iran Human Rights warned of imminent mass executions of political prisoners in the shadow of war.

Keyvani's case illustrates the compounding risks facing dual nationals in Iran during wartime. Iran's refusal of consular access removes the one diplomatic lever available to the Swedish government. His execution alongside protesters and alleged insurgents signals that the judiciary is using espionage charges and national security law as instruments of repression at a moment when international scrutiny is consumed by the wider conflict.