Wrestling, or ‘koshti’, is the national sport of Iran, rooted in pre-Islamic Persian identity and cultural heritage. The code of honor of kindness, chivalry and humility has animated Iran’s epic poetry and prose, fusing Iranian nationalism and heroism into one of Iran’s most enduring cultural treasures.
On March 19, just a day before the arrival of spring and the celebration of the ancient Iranian New Year of Nowruz, the Islamic regime executed one of Iran’s most gifted wrestlers, along with two other young men – effectively punishing Iranians for honoring their pre-Islamic past.
The timing couldn’t be a coincidence. As smoke still poured from the barrels of military weapons used last January to carry out the worst massacre in Iran’s modern history, and as wary and wounded Iranians prepared to welcome Nowruz in a show of resilience, the regime decided to remind Iranians who exactly is in charge.
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The three young men, 19-year-old champion wrestler Saleh Mohammadi, 21-year-old Saeed Davudi and Mehdi Ghassemi, were convicted of killing two police officers, inciting violence by joining protesters and waging war against God.
Wrestling champion Saleh Mohammadi will soon be executed in Iran for taking part in a protest, as international pressure mounts to save the athlete. (The Foreign Desk)
They were hanged in public in the city of Qom, the Vatican of Iran, the center of Shia doctrines of morality and piety.
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The death toll from last January’s massacres continues to rise: footballer Mohammad Hossein Hosseini, water polo goalkeeper Ali Pishevarzadeh, marathon runner Niloufar Pas, kickboxing champion Benjamin Naghdi, teenage footballer Abolfazl Dokht, boxer Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani and at least 20 others are reportedly being held in solitary confinement and at risk of execution.
The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) has warned the international community that “Iran is at risk of a catastrophic human rights crisis,” and has labeled the speedy trials as “sham trials based on torture and forced confessions.”
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This is not the first time the Islamic regime has murdered its own athletes. Perhaps the most famous case is Navid Afkari, a star wrestler who, despite a global campaign led by athletes and human rights groups, was hanged in September 2020 for the alleged murder of a security guard.
Iranian journalist and activist Masih Alinejad has pointed out the regime’s broader strategy to eliminate Iran’s heroes so it can destroy the Iranian spirit. “This isn’t just about sports,” she begged X, “this is about human dignity. They hanged him without giving him a chance to say goodbye to his family.”
The revolution that toppled the Shah and ushered in Ayatollah Khomeini’s “age of extreme” was essentially a struggle to “redefine Iranian identity,” according to Professor Ali Ansari, director of Iranian studies at the University of St Andrews. Ayatollah Khomeini saw Iranian nationalism as a denial of Islam and attempted to surrender Iran’s history and culture to the life of the Prophet Muhammad and the rise of Shiism.
His sermons often ridiculed Iran’s pre-Islamic history. “Cyrus the Great was not so great if he allowed the Jews to rebuild their temple,” he says in his compilation. Sahifeh-you Imam. Addressing the beloved pre-Islamic king, Anushirvan the Just, he said: “He was Anushirvan the unjust because he did not yet know Islam. In fact, he was worse than Satan.”
The Iranians have smartly resisted the regime’s deliberate encroachment on their cherished history. At the beginning of the revolution, they formed human roadblocks to prevent bulldozers from reaching the ancient ruins of Persepolis, which date back to the Achaemenid Empire. More recently, during Nowruz, they gathered around the tomb of Cyrus the Great and other historical sites to chant pro-Iranian slogans.
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Perhaps the most telling sign that the Iranian people are winning the battle between nationalism and Islamism is the choice of their baby names. Shahan, the plural form of Shah, has replaced Mohammad as the most popular boy’s name in Iran.
Saleh Mohammadi, left, an Iranian wrestling champion was reportedly executed earlier this year for participating in protests. On the right, a billboard from Tehran showing Supreme Leaders Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Ali Khamenei and the newly appointed Mojtaba Khamenei, on display on March 10, 2026. (The Foreign Desk/AFP via Getty Images)
Sad but not surprising, Iran’s wrestlers – the symbols of Iran’s centuries-old history of kings and paladins and the guardians of its “heroic sport” – have also become targets of the regime. Tehran sees more value in setting them as examples for the rest of Iranians than in bringing Olympic medals back to their country.
Considering that wrestling has become the country’s most successful Olympic sport, accounting for 43 of the 69 total medals, the regime’s strategy to erase one of the age-old pillars of Iranian identity is borderline comical – if it weren’t so tragic.
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The clergy and their minions aren’t just looking for their wrestlers. They want to make the absurd normal. As a former American diplomat told me in a phone conversation wishing me a happy Nowruz, the execution of Saleh Mohammadi and his two young friends is akin to the US government sending its best Marine and his puppies to the electric chair on July 4 for the crime of complaining about the rising price of hot dogs. “It’s absurd.”
Welcome to the Islamic Republic of Absurdity.
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