May 31 – Iran’s government has caused global alarm at the continued rise in executions in the country, with at least 113 reported executions in the first 25 days of May, according to several human rights organizations.
Iranian authorities have executed at least 478 people this year so far, according to the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights, which also noted a 75 percent increase in executions in the first four months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.
The Islamic Republic is currently the most prolific executioner or children, women and men, globally.
The United States said it was moving foreword with plans to build a missile defense system, which it said would protect the country from attacks by hostile states such as Iran, Russia and China.
The Golden Dome plan would include a network of hundreds of satellites traveling around the globe with sensors and interceptors to knock out incoming enemy missiles.
The project was called “very dangerous” and “threatening” by North Korea’s Foreign Ministry.
And acclaimed Iranian film maker Jafar Panahi won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, the world’s most important cinematic competition, for his film “It was just an accident.”
Panahi’s work often touches upon themes of social justice and corruption in Iran, and he was previously given a 15-year travel ban by the Islamic Republic for his work.
Panahi was in France for the first time in more than 20 years, where he collected his award in person.
