Saudi Arabia executed six Iranian nationals for drug smuggling, the interior ministry said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency on 1 January 2025.[1][2] The ministry said the men were arrested and charged with smuggling hashish into the kingdom and sentenced to death.[1] They were put to death in Dammam on the Gulf coast for having, in the ministry’s words, clandestinely introduced hashish into the country.[2] The statement did not say when the executions were carried out.[1][2]

Tehran summoned the Saudi ambassador to protest, conveying what Iranian media called a strong protest note and asking for an explanation.[1] The two countries had re-established relations under a China-brokered deal in 2023 after years of hostility.[1] An AFP tally cited alongside the announcement counted 117 drug-trafficking executions in Saudi Arabia in 2024.[2]