Iran announced on Monday that it had executed a man accused of being an Israeli spy, adding to a growing wave of executions in the country. The judiciary’s official news agency, Mizan, identified the man as Bahman Choobiasl, describing him as “one of the most important spies for Israel in Iran.”
Iran Confirms New Execution of Alleged Israeli Spy
According to officials, they alleged that Choobiasl participated in sensitive telecommunications projects and reported details about the “paths of importing electronic devices.” Despite making these claims, Iranian authorities did not present any public evidence to support the charges.
This execution represents the 10th case in which authorities accused someone of espionage for Israel since the 12-day conflict with Israel in June. The timing carries significance because the United Nations reimposed sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear program only days earlier. Iran condemned the sanctions and vowed to confront what it described as hostile foreign actions.
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Foreign governments, especially Israel and the United States, face frequent accusations of trying to infiltrate Iran’s security, intelligence, and technology sectors. However, human rights organizations regularly raise concerns about the transparency of these cases and argue that officials obtain confessions through pressure.
Recent Executions of Alleged Israeli Spies Raise Concerns
Iran carried out another execution earlier this month when it executed Babak Shahbazi, a man it accused of being an Israeli spy. Iranian authorities claimed that Shahbazi worked against the country’s interests, while activists abroad argued that officials tortured him into making a false confession.
Activists also pointed to a letter Shahbazi had written to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, offering to volunteer and fight for Kyiv. This raised suspicions among rights groups that his arrest and execution were more connected to Iran’s political alliances than to actual spying.
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Iran has been a major backer of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, supplying Moscow with its Shahed drones, which Russian forces use in attacks on Ukrainian cities. Human rights monitors believe that these tensions, and not espionage activities, directly motivated Shahbazi’s execution.
The rapid pace of executions, which also includes Choobiasl’s case, demonstrates that Iran has stepped up its use of capital punishment. Observers point out that Iran is now carrying out what they describe as the fastest wave of executions since the end of the Iran-Iraq war in 1988, a period during which Iranian authorities executed thousands of political prisoners in a matter of months.
Human Rights Groups Report Record Numbers of Executions
Human rights organizations tracking Iran’s judicial system say the number of executions is at a record high. The Oslo-based Iran Human Rights group and the Washington-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran have reported that Iranian authorities executed more than 1,000 people in the country this year.
The figure is already staggering, but experts warn it could be even higher. Iran does not always disclose information about every execution, meaning many cases remain undocumented.
This surge has taken place against a backdrop of nationwide protests that have rocked Iran in recent years. Demonstrations have been fueled by anger over the struggling economy, growing demands for women’s rights, and calls for changes in the country’s religious and political system. In response, authorities have adopted a severe approach, relying heavily on mass arrests and executions.
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Executions linked to alleged espionage are a particularly sensitive issue. By framing prisoners as Israeli spies, Tehran presents these cases as matters of national security. Officials argue that such actions are necessary to protect the country from foreign infiltration. However, rights activists counter that many of these charges are politically motivated and that trials lack fairness and transparency.
The execution of Bahman Choobiasl adds to the growing list of individuals put to death in Iran in recent months. Together with the earlier execution of Babak Shahbazi, it highlights how allegations of being an Israeli spy are being used more frequently in Iran’s courts.
For now, the trend reflects one of the harshest crackdowns in decades, with executions becoming a central tool of control by the state.