Iran Hangs Two Men Convicted of Mossad Espionage

Iranian authorities executed two men by hanging on Saturday in West Azerbaijan province, convicting them of espionage for Israel's Mossad intelligence agency. The judiciary identified the men as Yaghoub Karimpour and Naser Bakarzadeh, stating their death sentences had been upheld by the Supreme Court and carried out at dawn.

According to the judiciary's Mizan Online outlet, Karimpour, a 41-year-old follower of the Yarsan religious minority, was accused of filming and photographing security and military sites during Iran's 12-day conflict with Israel in June 2025. Authorities alleged he transmitted the material via Telegram to a Mossad officer, received cryptocurrency payments, and conducted sound explosions to mislead Iranian security forces. Bakarzadeh, a 26-year-old Kurdish prisoner described by rights groups as Sunni, faced charges of collecting details on senior political and religious figures, as well as coordinates of sensitive locations including areas near the Natanz nuclear facility in central Iran.

The executions follow a separate hanging on Thursday of a man convicted of attacking police during anti-government protests. Iranian media also reported the execution of...