Iran has executed two men convicted of spying for Israel, as authorities press ahead with a renewed wave of executions despite mounting criticism from international human rights groups and foreign governments.
Iranian state media reported that Yaqoub Karimpour and Nasser Bakarzadeh were put to death after being found guilty of cooperating with Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad. Their sentences had been upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court.
According to Iran’s judiciary, Karimpour was accused of providing sensitive information to Mossad during the 12-day conflict in June 2025. Officials alleged that he transmitted national security data to Israeli intelligence during the hostilities.
Human rights groups have raised serious concerns about the cases. The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) identified Karimpour as a member of the Yarsan religious minority, also known as Ahl-e Haqq, and described Bakarzadeh as a Kurdish political prisoner.
HRANA said Karimpour, 41, was arrested in June 2025 and denied access to legal counsel and family visits during his detention. The organisation alleged he was held under strict security conditions for about two months and pressured into making a confession.
Bakarzadeh had been in custody since December 2023. He was sentenced to death several times by the Revolutionary Court in Urmia on charges of espionage for Israel.
In an audio recording recently circulated by rights groups and said to have been made from inside Urmia prison, Bakarzadeh spoke of living under constant fear. “Every moment I see my own death,” he reportedly said.
Iranian authorities accused him of gathering information on senior political and religious figures, as well as strategic sites, including the Natanz nuclear facility, and passing the details to an alleged Mossad operative.
The executions are part of a broader surge in capital punishment in Iran. Rights organisations say the pace has accelerated sharply in recent weeks, coinciding with heightened tensions and military confrontation involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
The Hengaw human rights organisation reported that at least 26 prisoners were executed in Iran during April alone. Among them were at least 14 political prisoners and one woman.
Iran’s judiciary chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, has rejected international appeals for restraint. In recent remarks, he said Iran would show no leniency toward those convicted of crimes against the state or its citizens, dismissing criticism from foreign governments as interference.
International human rights organisations and the United Nations have repeatedly expressed alarm over Iran’s use of the death penalty, particularly in cases involving political charges and national security allegations. Critics argue that executions are increasingly being used as a tool of intimidation during periods of domestic and regional unrest.
