Iran on Wednesday executed a man convicted of spying for Israel, according to the country’s judiciary, marking the latest in a growing wave of executions linked to national security charges during the ongoing conflict with Israel.
The Iranian judiciary’s Mizan Online website identified the man as Ehsan Afreshteh. Authorities claimed he had been trained by Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, in Nepal before passing sensitive information to Israel.
“Ehsan Afreshteh, a spy trained by Mossad in Nepal who sold sensitive information to Israel, has been executed,” Mizan Online reported.
The judiciary said Afreshteh had been arrested, tried, and convicted on charges of espionage and collaboration with what Iran refers to as the “Zionist regime.” Officials added that the sentence was carried out after Iran’s Supreme Court upheld the verdict.
The execution comes as Iran continues to tighten security measures following months of military and political tensions involving Israel and the United States. Since the conflict escalated in February, Iranian authorities have significantly increased executions related to alleged espionage and security offenses.
Earlier this week, Iran also executed an aerospace engineering student accused of spying for both Israel and the United States. The case drew international attention from human rights organizations concerned about the rise in death sentences connected to political and security accusations.
Rights groups have long criticized Iran’s use of capital punishment. According to international watchdogs, Iran remains the world’s second-highest executioner after China.
The latest executions are expected to further increase international scrutiny over Iran’s judicial system and its handling of wartime security cases.
