Iran executes "elite student" on espionage charges

Iranian authorities on Monday executed Erfan Shakourzadeh, a 29-year-old post-graduate student from one of the country's most prestigious universities, on charges of spying for the United States and 'Israel'.

The hanging, carried out at dawn at Ghezel Hesar prison in Karaj, is the latest in a surge of executions as Tehran intensifies its domestic crackdown against the backdrop of the ongoing war, according to human rights monitors.

Allegations of Espionage

According to the Iranian Mizan News Agency, Shakourzadeh was convicted of collaborating with the CIA and Mossad. Authorities said the aerospace engineering student, who studied at the Iran University of Science and Technology, provided sensitive intelligence regarding:

• Satellite technology research.
• Access levels and duties within high-security workplaces.
• "Sensitive information" related to national defense projects.

The judiciary announced that Shakourzadeh's confessions are scheduled to be broadcast on state television on Monday evening.

According to human rights group, Hengaw, Shakourzadeh wrote in a note from prison before his execution that read:

“I am Erfan Shakourzadeh, one of the few elites who chose not to emigrate... I was arrested on fabricated espionage charges and, after eight and a half months of torture and solitary confinement, was forced into a false confession. Do not let another innocent life be taken in silence.”

Claims of "Fabricated" Charges

Human rights organizations have condemned the execution, characterizing Shakourzadeh as an "elite student" whose life was taken based on coerced testimony.

Hengaw and another Norway-based group Iran Human Rights (IHR) reported that Shakourzadeh was held in solitary confinement for nine months following his arrest in February 2025. 

During this time, rights groups alleged he was subjected to "severe physical and psychological torture" to extract false confessions.