Yazd

Yazd is a central Iranian city and UNESCO World Heritage Site (inscribed 2017), renowned for its ancient Zoroastrian heritage, wind-tower architecture, and textile industry. Located in Yazd Province on the edge of the Dasht-e Kavir desert, it sits roughly 270 km south-east of Isfahan and 540 km south of Tehran, placing it in Iran's strategic interior.

Yazd came under direct Israeli attack on the night of 19-20 March 2026, when the IAF struck Yazd airport and fuel depots as part of a wave targeting more than 200 sites across western and central Iran. As the strikes intensified, Yazd became entwined with Iran's nuclear brinkmanship: a bill to withdraw Iran from the Non-Proliferation Treaty was filed as priority legislation in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, with the city's MP Malek Shariati named as its lead sponsor.

On 27 April 2026, Yazd moved from a military-target story to a political-execution story. Jafar Fakhrabadi was hanged at Yazd Central Prison that morning, confirmed by Hengaw. Fakhrabadi's age, charges and political classification had not been published by Hengaw at time of reporting, but his execution added to the wartime political-execution count tracked since 28 February. The same day, three Ali Fahim co-defendants from Karaj's Qezel Hesar Prison were transferred to solitary — the documented precursor to execution at that facility. Yazd Central Prison is distinct from Qezel Hesar but forms part of the same wartime execution network spread across Iran's provincial prison system.