Iran has executed a man accused of spying for Mossad, the intelligence agency of Israel, following his conviction on serious security charges, the country’s judiciary announced on Wednesday.
The man, identified as Babak Shahbazi, was hanged early Wednesday after the Supreme Court upheld his death sentence, according to the judiciary’s official news outlet, Mizan Online.
Authorities said Shahbazi had been secretly working for Mossad since 2022, leveraging his access to sensitive military, security, and telecommunications facilities through his role in designing and installing industrial cooling systems. He allegedly passed classified information to Israeli intelligence in exchange for money and the promise of foreign residency.
The judiciary stated he was convicted of “corruption on earth” and “waging war against God” — capital crimes under Iranian law. It was not immediately disclosed when he was initially arrested.
The execution comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and Israel following months of shadow conflict and a recent escalation of hostilities. In August, Iran also executed Roozbeh Vadi, an employee of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, for allegedly leaking sensitive information on Iranian nuclear scientists and facilities to Mossad.
Iran’s intelligence ministry announced in July it had arrested at least 20 suspected Israeli agents across several provinces, underscoring its intensified crackdown on espionage.
Rights groups, including Amnesty International, have repeatedly criticized Iran for its high rate of executions, ranking it as the world’s second-most prolific executioner after China.
