Iran hangs man convicted of passing secrets to Israel online

At least nine alleged Israeli operatives have been executed since 12-day air war in June

Iranian authorities accuse Israel of carrying out killings and sabotage on its territory. EPA

Iran has executed a man convicted of spying for Israel, in the latest of a series of death sentences since the two countries fought a 12-day air war in June.

Iranian authorities say the man confessed to co-operating with Mossad and transmitting confidential information online. They said he began contacting Israeli intelligence in October 2023 and was arrested in early 2024.

The man was hanged on Saturday in the holy city of Qom, south of Tehran. Qom's chief justice Kazem Mousavi said he had his sentence confirmed by Iran's supreme court and an appeal for a pardon rejected, according to a judiciary website.

Iran is known to have executed at least nine people accused of espionage since the 12-day air war in which Israel bombed nuclear sites and assassinated senior military figures and scientists. The US joined in with the bombing of a vital nuclear enrichment bunker before a ceasefire deal was reached.

Iran executed six men this month who had been convicted of carrying out attacks on behalf of Israel. Authorities said that the group had “operated in direct connection with the Zionist regime’s intelligence apparatus.”

Days earlier, a man described as one of Israel's top spies was hanged. Another suspect, Roozbeh Vadi, was executed for passing on information about a nuclear scientist killed during the June conflict.

Iran is the most prolific user of the death penalty after China, according to human rights groups such as Amnesty International. Activists say many convictions rely on coerced confessions, and that trials often take place behind closed doors.

Tehran, however, maintains that those executed were “agents of hostile intelligence services” involved in acts of terrorism or sabotage. Iranian officials have accused Israel of orchestrating a campaign of covert attacks inside Iran, including assassinations and sabotage.

Separately, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said at least four tribal leaders were killed in an attack in the south-east. They blamed "mercenary groups affiliated with the Israeli regime".

Authorities in Iran frequently accuse militant groups operating in the area of having ties to Israel and designate them as terrorist organisations.