Iran has executed a man the regime accused of spying for both the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Israel’s Mossad intelligence service. Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported that Erfan Shakourzadeh had worked at a scientific organisation involved in satellite activities and had shared classified scientific information with foreign intelligence services.
Details of the Case
Shakourzadeh, a 29-year-old aerospace engineering graduate, was arrested in 2025. According to the rights group Iran Human Rights Society, he was forced into his confession. Activist groups have long accused Iran of carrying out closed-door trials during which defendants are unable to fully defend themselves.
Context of Executions
Iran has carried out a string of executions since nationwide protests swept the country in January. Iran’s judiciary chief has repeatedly stated that Tehran would increase the speed with which it carried out hangings to fight back against its enemies at home and abroad.
Earlier this month, Iran executed two men who were accused of spying for Israel, including one accused of gathering intelligence near the Natanz nuclear site in central Isfahan province, Iranian media reported. They quoted the judiciary as saying Yaghoub Karimpour and Nasser Bakarzadeh were executed after being found guilty of intelligence cooperation with Israel and its spy agency, Mossad. Karimpour passed sensitive information to a Mossad officer, while Bakarzadeh was accused of collecting details on government and religious figures and key sites, including in the Natanz area.
