Iranian authorities have announced the execution of two men accused of spying for Israel and the United States, marking the latest developments in a broader post-war crackdown that has led to a sharp increase in executions on national security charges.
According to Iran’s judiciary, Gholamreza Khani-Shakarab was executed after being convicted of espionage on behalf of Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad. The judiciary-affiliated Mizan News Agency described him as a person with a criminal background and alleged that he had been recruited by Mossad for various operations. Iranian authorities claimed that one of his assigned missions involved traveling to a regional country to identify and facilitate the assassination of a Jewish rabbi. The judiciary stated that he was eventually apprehended by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard intelligence forces and later sentenced to death after judicial proceedings and Supreme Court review.
In a separate case, Iranian authorities announced the execution of Mojtaba Kian, who was accused of conducting intelligence activities for both Israel and the United States during the recent conflict. According to the judiciary, Kian transmitted information concerning Iran’s defense industries, including alleged coordinates and details related to facilities involved in the production of defense-related components. Officials stated that evidence presented against him included confessions made before and during trial proceedings.
The execution of Kian has drawn particular attention because of the speed of the judicial process. According to reports from Iranian state media, less than fifty days passed between his arrest and execution, raising concerns among human rights organizations regarding adequate legal representation, due process protections, and the ability of defendants to mount a meaningful defense in national security cases.
These executions come amid a broader wave of capital punishment following the recent conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States. Human rights organizations estimate that more than 30 individuals connected to political or security-related charges have been executed since the outbreak of the war, reflecting a significant escalation in the use of the death penalty in such cases.
International human rights groups have repeatedly expressed concern about the fairness of trials involving espionage and national security charges in Iran. Rights advocates argue that many cases rely heavily on confessions that may have been obtained under coercion, pressure, or torture, while defendants often face limited access to legal counsel and restricted opportunities to challenge evidence presented against them.
The growing number of executions has also attracted attention from United Nations officials. Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, recently echoed concerns raised by Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, urging Iranian authorities to halt executions, release individuals arbitrarily detained, and restore internet access. Sato warned that the use of national security charges to suppress dissent, the imposition of death sentences based on allegedly coerced confessions, and the targeting of ethnic and religious minorities are patterns that have continued despite the fragile ceasefire that followed the recent conflict.
The latest executions occur against the backdrop of a broader rise in capital punishment in Iran. Human rights groups note that Iran continues to rank among the world’s leading executioners. According to the Norway-based organization Iran Human Rights, at least 1,500 people were executed in Iran during the previous year, one of the highest annual totals recorded in recent decades. The organization reported that some of those executions were connected to cases arising from the nationwide protests of 2022 and 2023.
The recent espionage-related executions highlight the Iranian government’s emphasis on counterintelligence and national security following the war. At the same time, they have intensified longstanding debates over due process, transparency, and the use of capital punishment in politically sensitive cases. As executions continue to rise, domestic authorities and international human rights advocates remain sharply divided over whether these measures represent legitimate national security enforcement or a growing erosion of judicial safeguards.