Iran executes man on charges of spying for ‘Israel’

• Iranian authorities hanged Hamidreza Sabet Esmailipour at dawn on Wednesday, following his conviction for passing intelligence to Mossad and assisting in "sabotage operations" against Iranian missile sites.
• This execution follows a pattern of swift trials and high execution rates since the June 2025 war; it marks the second high-profile hanging for ‘Israeli’ espionage this month as Iran attempts to address significant intelligence penetrations.

Iranian judicial authorities announced on Wednesday that they have carried out the execution of a man arrested in April 2025 and convicted of spying for ‘Israel’.

The judiciary-affiliated Mizan news agency reported that Hamidreza Sabet Esmailipour, who was found guilty of passing information to an agent of ‘Israel’s’ Mossad intelligence service, was hanged at dawn.

Human rights organizations had previously reported that 12 people were executed on similar charges following the military confrontation between ‘Israel’ and Iran last June,

Mizan Online said Esmailipour was convicted of transferring intelligence to the Mossad, purchasing equipment to assist ‘Israel’ in carrying out “sabotage operations” at Iranian missile sites, and transporting car bombs.

The most recent execution in Iran on charges of spying for ‘Israel’ prior to this case took place on January 7, when Ali Ardastani was executed for allegedly passing information to the Mossad.

Iran is the world’s second most prolific executor after China, according to human rights groups. At least 1,500 people were executed last year, according to figures from Iran Human Rights.

Since the June war, Iran has pledged swift trials for those detained on suspicion of cooperating with ‘Israel’.

Iran accuses ‘Israel’ of carrying out sabotage operations against its nuclear facilities and assassinating its scientists.

However, the June war exposed the extent of ‘Israel’s’ intelligence penetration of Iran, as several senior Iranian military and security figures were killed in targeted strikes based on information about their whereabouts.