The Islamic Republic of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and Basij units have been significantly degraded by the United States and Israel. Yet even as bombs rain on Tehran, the regime continues to suppress domestic opposition. In response, the U.S. and Israel should target the Islamic Republic of Iran’s core pillar of repression: the judiciary.
On March 18, authorities hanged a dual Iranian-Swedish national after the Supreme Court upheld his death sentence for allegedly spying for Israel during the June 2025 12-day war.
Since 1979, the Islamic Republic’s judiciary has functioned as an enforcement of the regime’s Twelver Shia Islamic ideology. The revolutionary court system is presided over by hardline clerics and followers who use vague and politically charged accusations such as “corruption on earth,” “siding with global arrogance,” and “waging war against God” (moharebeh) to justify the imprisonment and execution of political dissidents, foreigners, human rights activists, and journalists. Those who are tried before the judiciary face closed trials, denial of due process, and predetermined verdicts.
On March 18, authorities hanged a dual Iranian-Swedish national after the Supreme Court upheld his death sentence for allegedly spying for Israel during the June 2025 12-day war. The next day, authorities executed three men accused of killing police officers during an anti-regime protest in January, after the Supreme Court upheld their death sentences. The men were also convicted of “moharebeh,” and their executions occurred in Qom Province.
Melika Aziz, an 18-year-old from Masal in northern Iran, is at risk of execution after being charged with “enmity against God” and “burning the flag of the Islamic Republic.” Iran’s deputy judiciary chief, Hamzeh Khalili, stated that cases related to the January protests have been finalized and are now being enforced. He warned that those convicted would receive no clemency and face harsh punishment for alleged collaboration with Israel or the U.S. Iranian police continue arresting hundreds of citizens, accusing them of undermining national security and spreading online content they claim is U.S. and Israeli efforts to create instability.
While Israel has targeted the IRGC’s Basij and reportedly killed Judges Seyed Mohammad Khosravani and Alireza Sheikhloo, more should be done to cripple Iran’s judicial system meaningfully. The U.S. and Israel should target Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i, Abolqasem Salavati, Seyed Hadi Mansouri, Iman Afshari, and other judges who directly sustained the regime’s repression.
The judiciary’s physical infrastructure, including courthouses, jails, and cranes used to hang prisoners, should also be targeted, given that it would further strain the regime’s capacity to enforce its rule.
Targeting Iran’s judiciary would remove a key tool the regime has long used to instill fear among ordinary Iranians, deterring protest through the threat of prosecution and execution.
With assistance from Mossad operatives in Iran, the U.S. should deploy Special Forces to free prisoners held in prisons such as Evin, Adel Abad, Qarchak Women’s Prison, Vakilaba, and many others that have long been used to detain, torture, and execute civilians. Degrading these institutions would not only undermine the judiciary’s operational capabilities but also embolden domestic opposition.
Targeting Iran’s judiciary would remove a key tool the regime has long used to instill fear among ordinary Iranians, deterring protest through the threat of prosecution and execution. As pressure on the Islamic Republic increases and its internal security apparatus continues to be battered, the judiciary remains a critical yet under-targeted mechanism of control and a clear point of disruption.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can demonstrate their support for the people of Iran by prioritizing efforts to crack down on Iran’s Kangaroo courts and ultimately topple a critical pillar that sustains the Islamic Republic’s rule.
Published originally under the title “Crackdown on Iran’s Kangaroo Courts.”
