‘Guilty of corruption on Earth’: Iran executes man for 'spying' for Israel; accused of working for Mossad

Iran on Saturday executed a man convicted of spying for Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad in the city of Qom, the country’s official judiciary news agency reported on Sunday.The Mizan news agency said the unnamed individual was accused of “intelligence cooperation with the Zionist regime” and found guilty of “corruption on Earth” and “enmity against God”, charges that carry the death penalty under Iran’s Islamic penal code, reported news agency AP.The report stated that the person began cooperating with Mossad in October 2023 and was arrested four months later, in February 2024. The accused had allegedly supplied sensitive information to Israeli handlers and undertook missions inside Iran on Mossad’s behalf as per the report. Iran’s judiciary said such executions are essential to “protect national security” amid what officials describe as Israel’s ongoing infiltration and sabotage operations inside the country.The execution in Qom comes amid a series of similar cases in the recent weeks. Earlier this month, on October 4, Iran executed six people accused of carrying out bombings and armed attacks in Khuzestan Province while allegedly working with Mossad. Officials said the group “operated in direct connection with the Zionist regime’s intelligence apparatus.”Just days before that, on September 29, authorities hanged another man, identified as Bahman Choobiasl, at Arak Prison after convicting him of espionage for Israel.

Human rights organisations and Western governments have condemned Iran’s frequent use of the death penalty, particularly in cases tied to political or espionage charges. Activists allege that many verdicts are based on coerced confessions and trials conducted behind closed doors without independent legal representation.Tehran, however, insists that those executed were genuine agents of “hostile intelligence services” involved in acts of terrorism and sabotage. Iranian officials have long accused Israel of orchestrating covert operations inside the country including assassinations of nuclear scientists and cyberattacks on strategic sites, reported AP.