Iranian authorities executed 1,639 people last year, a joint report from two human rights groups states.
The figure marks a 68 per cent rise from 975 executions in 2024 and stands as the highest total since 1989.
Norway-based Iran Human Rights and the Paris-based Together Against the Death Penalty released the annual review on Monday.
They describe the count as an absolute minimum because Iranian officials announce fewer than seven per cent of cases and the groups require confirmation from two independent sources.
Almost half of those put to death faced charges for drug-related offences.
The report notes that authorities executed 48 women, up from 31 the previous year.
Public hangings more than tripled to 11. Among the women, 21 died for the murder of husbands or fiancés.
Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of Iran Human Rights, said the daily executions send a clear message.
“The message they send by executing people every day is to say ‘we have the power to kill’,” he stated.
He added that any talks with Iran must put a moratorium on the death penalty and the release of political prisoners at the top of the list.
Raphael Chenuil-Hazan, executive director of Together Against the Death Penalty, called for the issue to sit at the centre of negotiations between Iran and Western governments.
He suggested Iran may now lead the world in executions.
The groups warn that hundreds of people detained during protests still face the death penalty, and they fear the numbers could climb further if the authorities use capital punishment to maintain control.
