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The Iranian regime’s brutality was laid bare again this week with the public execution of 19-year-old wrestling star Saleh Mohammadi, and President Trump isn’t letting it go unnoticed. Speaking on Fox News’ “The Five,” the president gave voice to the outrage that anyone with a conscience should feel about this medieval display of tyranny.
“About two weeks ago, they put out a notice that if you protest, we will shoot you. They kill them. Look what they did to the wrestler. They killed him for, for speaking up. They killed him. He was a star wrestler, a great wrestler, actually,” Trump said, his voice carrying the weight of genuine disgust.
Mohammadi wasn’t just any young athlete. He was reportedly one of Iran’s best wrestling prospects, a sport with deep cultural roots in Persian history. The regime hanged him publicly alongside two other men, Mehdi Ghasemi and Saeed Davoudi, after accusing them of killing police officers during nationwide protests earlier this year. But let’s be clear about what really happened here: a 19-year-old kid who dared speak against the regime was murdered by the state for exercising what should be a basic human right.
According to Iranian American human rights activists, Mohammadi’s real crime was protesting against a regime that has grown increasingly desperate as it faces pressure both from within and without. The protests that swept Iran earlier this year were met with the regime’s characteristic response: bullets, beatings, and executions. They even issued warnings that protesters would be shot, then followed through with chilling efficiency.
Trump’s mention of the wrestler’s execution wasn’t just a passing comment—it was a reminder of what we’re dealing with in Tehran. This is a regime that will hang a teenager for speaking out while simultaneously claiming to be the victim of American aggression. The moral inversion would be laughable if it weren’t so deadly.
The president’s willingness to highlight these atrocities stands in stark contrast to the previous administration’s eagerness to cut deals with the mullahs. Some regimes can’t be reasoned with; they can only be contained, pressured, and ultimately defeated. The question is whether America and its allies have the stomach for that long fight. If the execution of Saleh Mohammadi doesn’t answer that question, nothing will.
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