President-elect Trump criticizes Iran for executing 19-year-old wrestler Saleh Mohammadi
Authored by betgiris.xyz, 27/03/2026
President-elect Donald Trump on December 5, 2024, condemned Iran's execution of 19-year-old freestyle wrestler Saleh Mohammadi during an interview on Fox News' "The Five."[1]
Trump described Mohammadi as "a star wrestler, a great wrestler" executed for speaking out against the regime. "Iran has great wrestlers, and he was a star, one of the best. And they killed him because he spoke up," Trump said.[1]
Iranian judicial authorities reported that Mohammadi was hanged publicly on December 5, 2024, along with Mehdi Ghasemi and Saeed Davoudi. The three men had been convicted of killing two Basij members -- a police officer and a security agent -- during the 2022 nationwide "Woman, Life, Freedom" protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in custody.[2][3]
Mohammadi, from Karaj, was a promising athlete who won a bronze medal for Iran in the 79kg freestyle category at the Saytiyev Brothers International Cup in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, on September 28, 2024.[2]
The execution drew mourning from U.S. Olympic gold medalists, including wrestler Brandon Slay (2000), swimmer Tyler Clary (2012) and bobsledder Kaillie Humphries (multiple Games), who expressed outrage on social media.[1]
The International Olympic Committee issued a statement expressing concern over the situation of Iranian athletes amid unrest but stopped short of condemning the execution directly. "The IOC cares deeply about the situation of athletes all around the globe and is concerned every time it learns of individual cases of mistreatment," the IOC said, noting its limited ability to influence sovereign nations.[1]
Sources
- Fox News Digital. "Trump rips Iran over execution of teen wrestler who spoke out against regime." December 5, 2024. https://www.foxnews.com/sports/trump-rips-iran-execution-teen-wrestler-spoke-out-against-regime
- Iran International. "Iran Hangs Teenage Wrestler, Two Others Over 2022 Protest Killings." December 5, 2024. https://www.iranintl.com/en/202412052257
- Associated Press. "Iran hangs 3 people convicted of killing security agents in 2022 protests." December 5, 2024. https://apnews.com/article/iran-executions-protests-2022-7b5f4a0b...