Iran has executed two men accused of serious national security crimes—one for spying for Israel, the other for alleged ties to the Islamic State (IS) group.
The executions took place at dawn on Wednesday, August 6, according to Mizan, the judiciary’s official news outlet. The men were identified as Rouzbeh Vadi and Mehdi Asgharzadeh.
Vadi was accused of relaying classified information to Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad. Authorities said he passed details about an Iranian nuclear scientist who was killed during Israel’s airstrikes in June 2025.
“He committed a wide range of crimes against the country’s internal and external security,” Mizan reported. “His actions caused severe disruption to public order.”
Vadi allegedly worked in one of Iran’s “important and sensitive organisations” and was recruited online. He reportedly met Mossad officers five times in Vienna before formally cooperating with them.
Iranian officials did not disclose the date of his arrest, the court that sentenced him, or whether he had legal representation. His charges included “corruption on Earth,” a broad term often used in Iran for crimes against the state.
Crackdown Deepens After Israel-Iran Conflict
These executions come amid a wider crackdown following Iran’s 12-day war with Israel in June. Israel’s strikes reportedly killed at least 14 Iranian physicists and engineers. Since then, Iran has intensified internal security operations, including mass arrests and swift trials.
In a separate case, Mehdi Asgharzadeh—also known by aliases “Abu Khaled” and “Hesam”—was hanged for alleged membership in IS. Authorities said he underwent military training in Syria and Iraq before illegally entering Iran with a four-member team.
The group was reportedly armed with explosive belts and bomb-making materials. Iranian security forces killed the other members in a shootout. Asgharzadeh was captured and sentenced for planning sabotage and terrorist attacks.
Iran’s Supreme Court upheld both death sentences, claiming full legal procedures were followed.
Human Rights Groups Raise Alarm
Human rights groups say Iran’s use of capital punishment is escalating. Amnesty International reported that nearly 700 people have been hanged so far in 2025. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights estimates at least 901 executions occurred in 2024, the highest since 2015.
Amnesty has called for an immediate halt to all planned executions and urged Iran to “establish an official moratorium on all executions with a view to completely abolishing the use of the death penalty.”
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