Iran executed a man on Wednesday on charges of spying for Israel, in what appears to be part of a sharp rise in executions since the start of the war on February 28, reported euronews.
The Tehran judiciary’s official news agency Mizan said the executed man, Mehdi Farid, attempted to “infect the internal network of a sensitive defense-related organization on orders from Mossad officers."
According to Mizan, he enabled external access by repeatedly connecting equipment via USB.
Mizan said Farid, a former employee of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization from Arak, provided Israel with internal information including organizational structures, building locations, security status, and staff identity data. The agency did not publish the name of the organization or supporting documents.
Mizan also claimed that during the judicial process, he “made a frank confession" to cooperating with Mossad.
According to human rights organizations, Farid was arrested and transferred to Evin Prison in the winter of 2022. His case was first reviewed in Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court, where he was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but the sentence was later changed to death after a prosecutor appeal.
His execution came two days after Iran executed two members of the opposition group, the People's Mujahedin (MEK), who were convicted of spying for Israel.
Iran regularly accuses Israel of acts of sabotage on its soil, and regularly captures and executes individuals accused of spying for Israel.
Iran is the world's second most prolific executioner after China, according to rights groups based outside the country, which accuse the Islamic Republic of using capital punishment as a tool to instil fear throughout society.
Human rights organizations say Iran executed at least 1,639 people in 2025, the highest recorded number since 1989, according to Iran Human Rights and Together Against the Death Penalty.
The figure marks a 68% increase compared to 2024, when 975 executions were recorded.
Since the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran in June 2025, at least 10 people have been executed on charges of “collaborating with Mossad and Israel," according to human rights reports.