Iran Hangs Man Convicted Of Spying For Israel, US As Peace Talks Progress

Last Updated:May 24, 2026, 12:38 IST

Investigators said one of the messages mentioned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and instructed operatives to “report this to BB.”

Iran’s judiciary said on Sunday that a man convicted of espionage during the nearly 40-day war involving Israel and the United States had been executed.

According to the judiciary’s Mizan Online website, the man, identified as Mojtaba Kian, was accused of sharing information linked to Iran’s defence capabilities and defence industry units with “the enemy".

“Mojtaba Kian… who sent information related to the country’s defence industry units to the enemy, was hanged early this morning," Mizan Online reported.

Sunday’s execution marked the first case directly tied to espionage activities carried out during the war that erupted on February 28 following US-Israeli strikes that killed senior Iranian leaders and prompted retaliatory attacks by Tehran across the region.

Since the conflict began, Iranian authorities have intensified executions linked to accusations of spying or collaboration with Israel and the United States. However, officials said all previous executions involved offences committed before the outbreak of the war.

According to the judiciary’s Mizan news agency, Mojtaba Kian “sent multiple messages to hostile networks affiliated with the Zionist-American enemy, including coordinates and information on facilities producing parts related to the country’s defence industries".

Mizan said the information was sent to satellite television networks, though it did not identify them. Iranian authorities have repeatedly accused Persian-language media outlets operating abroad of cooperating with Israel.

The report added that one “targeted location" inside Iran was attacked during the war after Kian allegedly shared details about its location.

“The sentence was carried out early this morning after completion of legal formalities," Mizan said.

The judiciary website stated that Kian was executed “less than 50 days" after his arrest and that his assets were confiscated.

According to rights organisations including Amnesty International, Iran carries out the world’s second-highest number of executions after China.

On Thursday, Iran also executed two men convicted of armed rebellion and membership in what authorities described as “separatist terrorist groups", a term often used by officials for Iranian Kurdish organisations based in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.

(With inputs from AFP)

News world Iran Hangs Man Convicted Of Spying For Israel, US As Peace Talks Progress

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