Execution of two men in separate cases - one convicted of spying for Israel’s Mossad and another accused of plotting sabotage as a member of the Islamic State group - was carried out in Iran on Wednesday.
The executed Israeli spy suspect has been identified as Rouzbeh Vadi, who was accused of passing classified intelligence to Israel’s Mossad, including information relating to an Iranian nuclear scientist reportedly killed during airstrikes attributed to Israel in June.
According to reports, Vadi met Mossad operatives five times in Vienna, Austria, though the details regarding his arrest and the identity of the scientist were not disclosed.
Israel’s ambassador to France, Joshua Zarka, had earlier claimed that a 12-day Israeli offensive resulted in the deaths of at least 14 Iranian physicists and engineers associated with Tehran’s nuclear programme. The execution of Vadi brings the number of people hanged by Iran on charges of espionage during this ongoing conflict to seven, raising concerns among international rights groups about a surge in politically charged executions.
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In a separate incident, authorities also executed Mehdi Aghazadeh, accused of being an Islamic State member involved in a sabotage plot against the state. Aghazadeh had allegedly undergone military training in Syria and Iraq before illegally entering Iran with a four-member group, all of whom were later killed in a clash with Iranian security forces.
The judiciary asserted that due legal process had been followed, with both executions being upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court after verdicts delivered by lower courts.
Although Iran maintains that its legal process is fair and rigorous, critics contend that espionage and terrorism charges are often used to silence political dissent or enforce national narratives in times of crisis.
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