Iran executed four people on Monday, accusing them of involvement in an Israeli espionage operation, after the Supreme Court rejected their appeal, according to the country’s official television.
The defendants were accused of illegally entering Persian territory from Iraq’s Kurdistan region to conduct out a bombing operation at an Isfahan-based company that manufactures equipment for Iran’s Ministry of Defense.
According to the reports, their operation was planned for the summer of 2022 on behalf of Israel’s Mossad but was foiled by the country’s intelligence services.
On September 18, 2023, they were sentenced to death for espionage cooperation with the Israeli regime. They were also found guilty of creating and administering a terrorist group with the intention of damaging the country’s security. Following a re-trial, an appeals court affirmed the verdict. Iran occasionally publishes on arrests, convictions, and executions of its citizens accused of espionage for Mossad and other Western intelligence agencies, according to ABC News. According to ABC News, Iran hanged four individuals this month, three men and one woman, and sentenced numerous others to jail for alleged ties to Israel’s Mossad security service, according to local media.
Earlier in December, another individual was hanged on grounds of leaking confidential material to Mossad. For many years, Iran and Israel have accused each other of espionage and conducting a shadow war. Israel sees Iran as its most danger and has frequently vowed to use military force to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons. Iran denies seeking such weapons and has pledged to respond harshly to any assault.
