Iran Executes Man Convicted of Spying for Israel Amid Heightened Tensions
Iran's Supreme Court confirms death penalty for espionage amid rising execution rates, state media reports.
Iranian authorities announced on Wednesday that a man convicted of spying for Israel has been executed, marking the latest in a series of state executions reported by Iranian state media. The individual, identified as Pedram Madani, was hanged after the country’s supreme court upheld a death sentence issued previously by a lower court.
The official IRNA news agency detailed that Madani, who was 41 years old and arrested in 2020, had traveled to Israel, where he allegedly met with Mossad intelligence officers. According to the report, Madani provided classified information about Iranian buildings described as housing “infrastructure” equipment. Officials stated that he received payments in both foreign currency and cryptocurrency for these activities. State media also claimed that Madani held additional meetings with Mossad agents at the Israeli Embassy in Belgium.
Authorities did not provide further details regarding the nature of the classified information or how it may have been used. Israel’s security agency declined to comment on the case.
Pedram Madani is the third person to be executed by Iran on charges of espionage for Israel so far this year. Human rights organizations frequently raise concerns that such convictions are based on vague or unsubstantiated allegations. Iran Human Rights, a Norway-based watchdog group, noted a sharp rise in executions across the country in recent weeks, reporting that at least 60 people have been put to death in the past 10 days.
Iran has a history of carrying out executions against individuals accused of collaborating with Israel, including a separate incident in April when a man was executed for allegedly working with Mossad and being involved in the killing of a high-ranking member of the Revolutionary Guard in Tehran in 2022.
The uptick in executions comes at a time of heightened tensions between Iran and Western nations, as nuclear negotiations continue to stall. Human rights advocates warn that the use of capital punishment, especially for charges related to espionage, is often conducted with limited transparency and due process, raising concerns within the international community.
