An Open Letter to President Donald J. Trump on Iran’s Escalating Executions and the Opportunity for American Leadership

Dear Mr. President,

We, the undersigned scholars and professionals, including the original signatories affiliated with the Free Iran Scholars Network and others who have supported and co-signed this letter, write to bring to your urgent attention a development that bears directly on American security and your administration's Iran strategy.

In late February of this year, six political prisoners, condemned to execution, stood together in the courtyard of Ghezel Hesar prison and defiantly sang a song of resistance in a clear sign of defiance. Their voices were steady. Their final words, captured on a video smuggled out of the prison and now seen around the world, were these: "I've sworn an oath upon my blood, the tyrant's throne shall shatter." By April 4, 2026, all six were executed by the IRGC-led regime in Tehran.

Their names deserve to be heard at the highest levels of the United States government: Vahid Baniamerian (32), Babak Alipour (34), Abolhassan Montazer (68), Pouya Ghobadi (33), Ali Akbar Daneshvarkar (60), and Mohammad Taghavi (59). Ghobadi was a musician and electrical engineer who was tortured before he was hanged on March 31st. Daneshvarkar was an engineer and the father of a 12-year-old son. Taghavi wrote from Fashafouyeh Prison last August: “I will not bargain with anyone over my life. I swear to fight valiantly until my last breath and to die standing, and to the last step.” He kept that oath. So did the others. They were not alone in that prison. On April 2, 2026, Amirhossein Hatami, an 18-year-old protester, an aspiring musician, arrested during the January anti-regime protests, was also executed in same prison.

What the regime meant to bury with these executions has instead become a flame. The song of the-six-men from the prison yard is now inspiring thousands of freedom fighters across all 31 provinces of Iran, and it is fueling what may become the defining uprising of our generation. We are humbled and inspired by the bravery of these brave multi-generational freedom fighters.

These executions are part of a deliberate campaign and there is no faction within this regime that stands apart from these crimes. In 2025, the Iranian regime hanged at least 1,639 people, the highest annual total in 37 years, averaging more than four executions per day. In the first two months of 2026, the regime executed 650 people. Hundreds of detainees from the January uprising remain at imminent risk of execution.

Mr. President, this is not a sign of strength. It is the opposite. A regime that murders its own youth in the dark of night is a regime that knows it is losing. Tehran's rulers are weaker today than at any point since 1979. They are economically isolated, militarily degraded, abandoned by their proxies, and facing a population that openly despises them.

The current execution wave is the regime's bid to consolidate control before facing renewed pressure by the people. It is also a test of American resolve. Allowing it to proceed unanswered would squander the leverage your administration has uniquely earned and would tell the next generation of Iranians that the song sung in the yard of Ghezel Hesar prison reached no one of consequence.

We respectfully urge the following:

• Make executions a red line in any Iran policy. Tehran should understand that politically motivated executions will carry consequences.
• Name the victims publicly. Silence helps the regime; presidential attention protects political prisoners.
• Back investigations that preserve evidence for accountability. Torture, executions, massacres, and sham trials must not be buried.
• Sanction the execution machine. Target the judges, prosecutors, prison wardens, IRGC officials, and institutions responsible.
• Keep the spotlight on every prisoner at risk. The regime kills when the world looks away; the United States should make clear that the world is watching.

Mr. President, the Iranian regime’s executioners are working overtime because they sense what you have long understood: their time is running out. The six-men of Ghezel Hesar Prison believed it too. Their final joint song is now a symbol of an Iranian regime change.

Respectfully,

50 Original Signatories Affiliated with Free Iran Scholars Network:

Prof. Morteza Gharib, Caltech, member of NAE, NAS, NAI, CA

Prof. Parham Alaei, University of Minnesota, MN

Prof. Kazem Kazerounian , University of Connecticut, CT

Prof. Hossein Sadeghpour, Nuclear physicist, Harvard, MA

Prof. Hossein Saiedian, University of Kansas, KS

Dr. Ramesh Sepehrrad, Scholar, Author, Political Scientist, Industry Executive, VA

Dr. Behzad Raofi, Space Mission Design, NASA JPL

Prof. Nasim Parsa, Director of Digital Health and Innovation, University of Minnesota Medical School, MN

Dr. Alborz Bahador, Psychologist , CA

Prof. Firouz Daneshgari, Urologist, OH

Dr. Sofey Saidi, Political Scientist, MD

Dr. Saeid Sajadi, Physician, KS

Prof. Matthew Tasooji , CSUSM, CA

Dr. Ashraf Zadshir, Physician , CA

Dr. Sina Dashti, Physician

Prof. Farhang Rajai, Senior Researcher in Theoretical Physics, CNRS Director

Attorney Ana Sami, JD, VA

Dr. Soolmaz Abooali, Faculty mentor, Scholar and Athlete, First female president of the World Traditional Karate-Do Federation, VA

Prof. Reza Sami, Mining Engineering, CO

Dr. Iraj Abedini, Psychologist

Ms. Jila Andalib, Information Technology Executive, CT

Mr. Hamid Azimi, Applications Engineer, CA

Ms. Beth Dehghan, Founder & Board Member, WomenNC, NC

Mr. Javad Gerami, Director of distribution, CT

Dr. Hossein Jahansouz, Biochemical Scientist, AZ

Prof. Khalil Khani , Environmental Scientist, AZ

Dr. Majid Sadeghpour, Pharmacist, VA

Mr. Reza Tand, Executive , Laboratory Director, MA

Dr. Mahnaz Nasseri, Material Scientist & Educator, MA

Ms. Shirin Nariman, Information Technologist , VA

Ms. Shohreh MirFendereski, Educator, GA

Dr. Elahe Zabihi, Senior University Lecturer

Mr. Hassan Kamali, Senior University Lecturer

Dr. Mariam Nasseri , Clinical Trial Coordinator

Mr. Amir Bolurchi, System Engineer and Executive Director, S&B Strategies, VA

Ms. Sima Yazdani, Executive Director, AI Technology Strategy & Solutions, Magiqcircle LLC, CA

Dr. Hadi Shakiba Nejad, Educational Design , CA

Dr. Zahra Sadeghpour , Pharmacist, VA

Dr. Saeid Esmaeilzadeh,Ph.D., Founder and Chairman, Esmaeilzadeh Holding AB (EHAB)

Additional Signatories Below