ByREUTERS

Iran executed a man on Wednesday who was accused of spying for Israel, the Iranian judiciary's media outlet Mizan reported, naming him as Hamidreza Sabet Esmaeilipour.

Entangled in a decades-long shadow war with Israel, Iran has executed many people it has accused of having links with the Israeli intelligence service and facilitating its operations in the country.

"Hamidreza Sabet Esmaeilipour, who was arrested on 29 April 2025, was hanged for the crime of espionage and intelligence cooperation in favour of a hostile intelligence service (Mossad) through ... the transfer of classified documents and information, after the verdict was confirmed by the Supreme Court and through legal procedures," Mizan said.

Executions of Iranians convicted of spying for Israel have significantly increased since last year, following a direct confrontation between the two regional enemies in June, when Israeli and US forces struck Iran's nuclear facilities.

Iran regularly executes individuals it alleges were spying for Israel

Earlier this month, the Islamic Republic executed Iranian man Ali Ardestani, "for the crime of espionage in favor of the Mossad intelligence service by providing the country's sensitive information," Mizan said at the time.

A man wears a noose around his neck as supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran gather to protest against the death penalty in their home country and for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to be declared a ''terrorist organization,'' in Berlin, Germany, November 14, 2024.
A man wears a noose around his neck as supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran gather to protest against the death penalty in their home country and for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to be declared a ''terrorist organization,'' in Berlin, Germany, November 14, 2024. (credit: Lisi Niesner/Reuters)

Before that, in December of last year, Iran executed another man it accused of spying for Israel.

The Oslo-based Iran Human Rights group said on X/Twitter at the time that the man, whom it identified as 27-year-old architecture student Aghil Keshavarz, was sentenced to death on charges related to espionage for Israel "based on confessions extracted under torture."

Before that, in September, 2025, the Islamic Republic executed a man named Bahman Choubi, claiming he was "one of the most important spies for Israel in Iran."