Iran executes prisoner accused of spying for Israel

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran has executed a man accused of spying for Israel’s intelligence agency, Tehran's judiciary said on Wednesday.

Ehsan Afrashteh, 32, was arrested in 2024 and sentenced to death in 2025 on espionage charges.

Mizan Online, which is affiliated with the Iranian judiciary, reported early Wednesday that Afrashteh had been executed.

The outlet claimed that he was trained in Nepal by Mossad to work as a spy and had sold “sensitive national information” to Tel Aviv.

Iranian authorities on Monday executed Erfan Shakurzadeh, who was accused of espionage and cooperation with US and Israeli intelligence agencies.

The new executions come amid a broader crackdown that has seen dozens executed since the start of the war.

Iran has long used the death penalty as a tool of state repression and to stifle dissent. Rights groups say authorities have executed at least two dozen political prisoners since the start of the war on February 28. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that Iran carried out 2,063 executions in 2025 - the highest number recorded in around three and a half decades.

The recent wave of executions has outraged human rights organizations, including, which has called on the international community to stop Tehran from carrying out the executions, including those of Kurdish political prisoners.

The conflict between Iran on one side and the United States and Israel on the other erupted in late February after months of escalating tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program and regional activities. The war triggered waves of missile and drone attacks across the region before a fragile ceasefire was reached in April.

Iranian authorities have since intensified arrests and security measures, accusing dozens of people of collaborating with foreign intelligence agencies, particularly Mossad. State media has frequently linked the arrests and executions to efforts aimed at preventing sabotage and internal unrest during the wartime period.