Iran has executed a man named Mohammad-Amin Mahdavi Shayesteh for allegedly spying for Israel. This happened on Monday, while fighting between Iran and Israel continued for the 11th day.
Iran’s court said Shayesteh worked with Mossad, which is Israel’s intelligence agency.
He was also accused of working with Iran International, a Persian-language TV channel based in London that criticizes the Iranian government.
Iran claims this TV channel is connected to Israel and has called it a “terrorist organisation” in the past, especially during the 2022 protests after the death of Mahsa Amini.
Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish woman, died in police custody after she was arrested for not following Iran’s dress rules for women. Her death led to widespread protests across the country.
Iran often arrests and executes people it accuses of spying, especially for Israel. Just a day before Shayesteh’s execution, Iran also hanged another man, Majid Mosayebi, for allegedly being a Mossad agent.
The head of Iran’s judiciary said that cases involving national security and support for Israel will now be handled more quickly.
Human rights groups say Iran is one of the countries with the highest number of executions, second only to China.