Iran executes man over alleged cooperation with Mossad spy agency

Judiciary claims that Gholamreza Khani Shakarab was tasked with recruiting operatives in country, was part of Israeli plot to assassinate rabbi and blame Iranians

Iranian authorities on Tuesday executed a man after convicting him of cooperation with and espionage for Israel’s Mossad spy agency, the judiciary said.

“Gholamreza Khani Shakarab was executed on charges of intelligence cooperation and espionage in favor of the Zionist regime,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online website reported, adding that his sentence had been upheld by the Supreme Court.

The hanging was the latest in a string of executions by the Islamic Republic for security-related cases following the outbreak of war with Israel and the United States on February 28.

Mizan described Shekarab as “one of the operational ringleaders of Mossad abroad… who was seeking to recruit individuals inside the country” for “anti-security actions.”

“Ultimately, in a complex operation and using intelligence deception tactics, the accused was guided into the country and arrested,” it said, adding that he was detained by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps intelligence forces.

The report also claimed Shekarab had been tasked by Mossad “to travel to one of the regional countries with the aim of identifying and preparing the groundwork for the assassination of a Jewish rabbi… to accuse Iran of anti-Jewish actions.”

It was not immediately clear when Shekarab was arrested or sentenced.

“Finally, after reviewing the case… and after legal proceedings and confirmation of the sentence in the Supreme Court, the accused was executed by hanging this morning,” the report added.

On Monday, Iran executed a man after convicting him of carrying out armed attacks during the nationwide anti-government protests that peaked in January.

The day before, Iran hanged Mojtaba Kian over espionage, in the first reported execution linked to spying offences during Iran’s war with the United States and Israel.

Israel and the US launched the war in a bid to destabilize the regime and destroy its nuclear and missile programs, with a shaky ceasefire in place since April 8.

Since the start of the conflict, Iran has stepped up executions for allegedly spying or collaborating with Israel and the US, although before Sunday, all those hanged were sentenced for offenses carried out before the war.

Iran carries out the second-highest number of executions in the world after China, according to rights groups including Amnesty International.

The Norway-based group Iran Human Rights says the Islamic Republic executed at least 1,500 people last year.