Washington D.C. – The Washington Post, June 25, 2026
At least six American citizens are being held in Iranian prisons. Austin Tice might be one.
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the Iranians are being “very nice” and “agreeing to everything that I want.” If that’s the case, perhaps the president can ask them to stop executing innocent civilians?
Trump’s negotiators are understandably focused on dismantling the remnants of Iran’s nuclear program and getting ships moving again through the Strait of Hormuz. The peace is proving shaky: On Thursday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) attacked a Singapore-flagged cargo ship in the strait.
Simultaneously, the regime is cracking down on political dissent and carrying out executions. Human rights groups estimate that at least 45 people have been executed this year on political charges, with most of the killings happening over the last three months. The leadership is ostensibly trying to convey with this latest round of brutality that the Islamic Republic isn’t going anywhere.
Neglecting to advocate for the long-oppressed people feels especially unseemly after Trump urged protesters to rise up against their government in January and promised that “help is on its way” if they did. When they did, Iran’s crackdown on anti-government demonstrations left more than 6,800 dead by some estimates.
The U.S. negotiating team argues that killing Iranian senior leaders has made the regime more pliable. Vice President JD Vance says that Iran wants to “turn over a new leaf.” History suggests otherwise.
