Iran executed a man convicted of spying for Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency on Wednesday, state media said, in a case authorities described as involving the transfer of sensitive security information and direct coordination with alleged Israeli operatives inside the country.
The judiciary’s Mizan news agency said Ali Ardestani was hanged after Iran’s Supreme Court upheld his death sentence.
According to the court ruling, Ardestani was recruited online by Mossad officers and carried out assigned tasks in exchange for payments and promises, including financial rewards and the prospect of a visa to Britain.
According to the report, Ardestani was accused of collecting images and information about specific locations and individuals and transferring them to Mossad handlers.
The judiciary said that Ardestani had both virtual and in-person contacts with alleged intermediaries inside Iran.
Mizan said Ardestani was arrested while carrying out what it described as an intelligence mission and later admitted during interrogations and court proceedings that he was aware he was working with Mossad.
Iran has executed more than a dozen people in recent months on charges of spying for Israel, cases that human rights groups say often involve opaque legal proceedings. Israel rarely comments on such allegations.
Iranian authorities have said more than 700 people were detained on suspicion of espionage or collaboration with Israel following the conflict in June.
