More than 1,500 executions were carried out worldwide in 2024, the highest annual figure since 2015, according to an Amnesty International report released Tuesday.

The sharp rise was largely fueled by Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, which together were responsible for 91% of all known executions.

Iran carried out at least 972 executions, followed by Saudi Arabia with at least 345 and Iraq with at least 63, the report on the global use of the death penalty said.

In the U.S., where 25 people were executed, U.S. President Donald Trump pledged to pursue the death penalty to protect U.S. citizen "from violent rapists, murderers and monsters," which Amnesty criticized.

"His dehumanising remarks promoted a false narrative that the death penalty has a unique deterrent effect on crime," it said.

Amnesty's report noted that the accurate global figure is likely much higher due to secrecy in some countries, especially China, which the organization calls "the world's lead executioner," where execution data remains classified as a state secret.

In China, state media publicizes some high-profile executions intended to send a political message. In January 2024, state media reported the execution of a couple sentenced to death for throwing two children from a building in Chongqing.

The organization condemned the use of the death penalty as a political tool in general, pointing to some countries in the Middle East region, such as Iran and Saudi Arabia.

"Those who dare challenge authorities have faced the cruellest of punishments ... with the death penalty used to silence those brave enough to speak out," Amnesty Secretary-General Agnes Callamard said.