Iranian authorities on Wednesday, September 17 executed a man convicted of spying for Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency since 2022, according to the country’s judiciary.

 

 

 

“Babak Shahbazi… was executed by hanging this morning following due legal process and the confirmation of his sentence by the Supreme Court,” reported Mizan Online, the judiciary’s official news outlet.

 

 

 

 

It was not specified when Shahbazi was arrested, but officials said he was sentenced to death for the capital offences of “corruption on earth” and “waging war against God.”

 

 

 

Mizan stated that Shahbazi had worked on the design and installation of industrial cooling systems for companies linked to Iran’s military, security, and telecommunications sectors. This access allegedly allowed him to pass sensitive information to Mossad “in exchange for money and residency in a foreign country.”

 

 

 

 

Since its June war with Israel, Iran has promised swift punishment for those accused of collaborating with its archrival.

 

 

 

 

In August, authorities executed Roozbeh Vadi, an employee of a subsidiary of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, after convicting him of providing intelligence on Iranian nuclear scientists and facilities.

 

 

 

In late July, Iran’s intelligence ministry announced the arrest of “20 spies, Mossad operational and support agents, and elements connected to the Israeli regime’s intelligence officers” across Tehran and several provinces.

 

 

 

Iran remains the world’s second-most prolific executioner after China, according to Amnesty International and other human rights groups.