Iran Executes Four Individuals Accused of Having Ties with Mossad

Iran implemented the death penalty on four individuals on Friday, convicting them of having connections with Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, according to local media reports.

The judiciary-affiliated news site Mizan identified the executed individuals as three men, Vafa Hanareh, Aram Omari, Rahman Parhazo, and a woman, Nasim Namazi. While the method of execution wasn’t specified in the report, Iran typically employs hanging.

The executed individuals were accused of abducting several Iranian security personnel to gather intelligence, as well as arson attacks on the vehicles and homes of some Iranian intelligence agents.

Additionally, the report mentioned that others linked to the same group received 10-year prison sentences, though no further specifics were provided.

This series of executions occurs in the wake of an alleged airstrike by Israel in Syria, which resulted in the death of a senior Iranian general.

Iran and Israel have been engaged in mutual accusations of espionage and covert conflict for years.

In November, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres noted that Iran was executing people at a worrying pace, with at least 419 executions in the first seven months of the year.

Earlier this month, Iran announced the execution of an individual it claimed was an Israeli Mossad spy, accused of disclosing confidential information. In January, Iran executed Ali Reza Akbari, a former Iranian-British defense ministry employee, for allegedly collaborating with Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service.

Back in 2020, Iran executed a man convicted of providing information to the U.S. and Israel about a high-ranking Islamic Revolutionary Guard officer, who was later killed in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq.